# The Hurt Locker: One big pile of suck (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453 "2010-04-17T14:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/21 "2010-04-19T10:30:11Z")
I don’t know a lot about the US military, but from comments on the web by people who plausibly claim to know what they’re talking about, the whole movie was just completely unrealistic - e.g., the ambush sniper scene (he can’t hit a stationary target but can get a moving target pretty easily - yeah I know, luck, or something), punching a superior officer, drinking in base, going off base in civilian clothes, every single bomb disposal scene. These are some of the things people mentioned. Now that’s fine, a movie doesn’t have to be realistic from a factual viewpoint in order to be good - it can be just an entertaining movie. However, if fails at that too. The camera work was pretty good, and that’s about all you can say in its favor. The dialogue - corny, the story - predictable and formulaic, the message - I have no idea, even the ending was stupid. Well, that shouldn’t be surprising because the start was also very stupid. “War is a drug”? Please tell me what that is supposed to mean? Whatever it is I bet I can show you why it’s a stupid quote. If it is supposed to tell us that some people get addicted to war, then … wow, profound observation. But actually, as the movie shows, most people just want to get the fuck out of war, so really, war isn’t a drug, at least not for most people. If the intention was to make us either indifferent or hostile to every single character in the film (and even that’s not a bad thing for a film to do, so long as there is something else to it), then it was a remarkable success. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/22 "2010-04-19T10:32:14Z")
I recommend _Jarhead_ to everyone who expected great things from _The Hurt Locker_. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/23 "2010-04-19T10:50:36Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I recommend _Jarhead_ to everyone who expected great things from _The Hurt Locker_. Yeah. I liked Jarhead. It wasn’t a great movie, but it was good. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/24 "2010-04-19T13:19:51Z")
I too was underwhelmed by this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/25 "2010-04-19T14:08:42Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Never said there needs to be a bad guy I said there should be an antagonist which means ‘a character, group of characters, or an institution, who represents the opposition’. I specifically said ‘a force’ which encompasses all of those. Real life doesn’t need a climax, every story not Waiting for Godot should have one. “People who want to kill us and/or innocent people” is the opposition. Kinda vague, I know. But so is real life in Iraq. Which was kinda my point. You clearly disliked the film because it wasn’t realistic, and then you disliked it because, well, it was realistic. > [@Sitnam](#): > > Didn’t say the antagonist has to be a human being, and I agree that the conflicts you pointed out can be a fantastic story, I just didn’t see enough character development to know that that was in fact the story. We shouldn’t have to wait until the end to find out what the fuck our protagonist is thinking. Part of the point of the movie was that the protagonists (and I think there were three protagonists) weren’t sure themselves what they was thinking. It’s not a cookie cutter movie with pure, all knowing, steadfast heros bringing an end to the evil of the bad guys. If that’s not for you, fine, no problem, such is life. But I think it worked well as a movie. Again, not Oscar worthy, but still a good film. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/26 "2010-04-19T14:11:59Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I recommend _Jarhead_ to everyone who expected great things from _The Hurt Locker_. Really? 'cause I loved _The Hurt Locker_ and I thought _Jarhead_ was annoying and pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/27 "2010-04-19T14:20:54Z")
I liked _Hurt Locker_ – not right away, but days later as I thought about it. However I think _Inglorious Basterds_ should have won Best Picture. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/28 "2010-04-19T14:26:41Z")
I liked it, but I thought it had its fair share of ridiculous scenes. A bomb disposal crew turning up and showing the SAS how to fight? No. Just no. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453/29 "2010-04-20T04:40:42Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Really? 'cause I loved _The Hurt Locker_ This invalidates all your other opinions on movies. > [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I thought _Jarhead_ was annoying and pretentious. See above. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hurt-locker-one-big-pile-of-suck-open-spoilers/536453.md?page=1)