Enlisted Men in the Hurt Locker (2008) Movie
Synopsis of the Hurt Locker (2008) Movie
In Baghdad 2004, three specialized Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) soldiers investigate an explosive using a drone set on a truck; however, the vehicle gets a flat before reaching the bombsite (Martin 123). This forces the team leader Sergeant Mathew Thompson (Guy Pearse) to walk into the site while his compatriots Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mickie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge take cover and monitors the site. However, the bomb explodes killing Thompson as his colleagues watch helplessly.
Sergeant William Jame an expert in bomb detonation, however, Eldridge, replaces Thompson and Sanborn are dissatisfied by his leadership style, which they presume it is reckless (Martin 127). They are not comfortable with him making them take a dangerous step, which involves searching for bombs in the street and his difficulty in communicating while on a mission. The team moves to detonate the explosives the have collected in the desert, on return, they meet British commandos who have a flat, the team decides to help them but they come under attacked. They are engaged in a heavy gunfight and when they come out alive, a stronger bond is formed between them. In another mission, the team yet again comes under attack and Eldridge is kidnapped, James and Sanborn engage the kidnapper in a gunfight and manage to rescue him. However, James accidentally shoots him; this situation causes animosity between them because Eldridge feels his colleague has cut his mission short. The end of the movie Sanborn admits to James that he cannot coup with the pressure of the EOD and quit. The mission ends and they return home, however at home Jame talks to his infant son telling him that he loves on thing; briefly, he is seen in Iraq ready for a mission with another team of EOD.
Enlisted Men in the Film
The film narration of the enlisted men is typical of the social group this is a group of individuals who are characterized by the courage, intelligence, teamwork, and loyalty. This group forms a vital component of any military composition because they are the once who carry out missions and attacks (Coleman 9). In the film, the team is given orders from the base by their seniors, they move to the battlefields and they are the actual people who deactivate explosives and bombs. This social group is also expected to analyze situations by using the information available and design a strategy that will ensure the success of their mission. In the film, every mission is unique and requires a different approach that is unique to the prevailing conditions. At the start of the film, the team decides to use a drone to access a bomb site, this is an indication of the numerous options that this social class in expected to have at their disposal to ensure that a mission is successful. The team is characterized by their unwavering courage; they are expected to carry out missions in places that are dangerous without any fear. This is an attribute that they have developed and surprisingly when their mission is cut, short member feel discouraged rather that relief. Thompson agrees to deactivate an explosive while back in his mind he understands the risk involved in case there is an enemy who is waiting to trigger the bomb. Despite being faced with the risk of the explosive going off, the team soldiers on courageously. When Eldridge is shot and wounded, he is angered and feels betrayed by James, he claims that his mission has been cut short and he is not happy about it (Robinson 166). Enlisted men are also trained to embrace teamwork and watch their colleagues to ensure they are safe from the enemy whenever they are in a mission. Enlisted men use this attribute throughout their mission and when James seems to ignore the other members, they are angered. At some point, Sanborn hits him in the face after trying to communicate with him in vain because he believes that his silence and non-cooperative nature endangers himself and the group members (Robinson 169). Whenever a mission is successful, the spirit of teamwork is catalyzed and after some time the team embraces each other like brothers rather than colleagues. This attribute is very helpful because it helps them work as a team and protect each other, this is visible when Eldridge is kidnapped, his colleagues fight hard to ensure they overcome the enemy and set him free. Enlisted men are usually very loyal to their course and country, this is the primary reason for their engagement in the battlefield; to keep their country safe (Weigley 56). James at the end of the film has monolog with his infant son, in the loud confession, he tells his son that at a young age people tend to love many things. However, when they grow they love one or two things, but for him he admits that he loves working for the United States in the battlefield. His confession is true because at the end of the film he is spotted in Iraq where he is attached to another team and they embark on a mission to deactivate explosives once again.
Works Cited
Beaver, Kevin M., et al. “Enlisting in the military: the influential role of genetic factors.” Sage Open 5.2 (2015):
Burgoyne, Robert. “Embodiment in the war film: Paradise now and the hurt locker.” Journal of War & Culture Studies 5.1 (2012): 7-19.
Coleman, David. “US Military Personnel 1954-2014.” History in Pieces (2015).
Martin, Jean. “Landscape, soundscape, taskscape in the films The Hurt Locker (2008), Katalin Varga (2009).” The New Soundtrack 3.2 (2013): 123-136.
Robinson, Janet S. “The Gendered Geometry of War in Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (2008).” Heroism and Gender in War Films. Palgrave Macmillan US, 2014. 153-171.
Weigley, Russell F. Towards an American Army: Military Thought from Washington to Marshall. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2016.