1. Livingston, James. "Rummaging in "The Hurt Locker" for a Moral Equivalent of War."History News Network. History News Network, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
This resource is rather interesting because the author dissects the naming of the protagonist, Will James. As it turns out, there was a pragmatist philosopher named William James, who gave a lecture called "The Moral Equivalent of War” in 1909. The protagonist's name harkens back to this traveling lecturer, who was one of the first in his profession. Livingston says, "By putting every teenager to work at a job sponsored, presumably, by the government, he aimed to teach all young people something about the 'military ideals of hardihood and discipline.' That was William James's moral equivalent of war." Livingston also comments on the film's message as well. He says how the film isn't pro/anti-war, its pro-warrior. Bigelow wants people to feel something for these soldiers, she wants us to remember what "Support Our Troops" really means.
2. McCalmont, Jonathan. "The Hurt Locker (2009) – Shadows Of Profundity." Ruthless Culture. N.p., 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.This resource is another one of those that addresses the fact that Bigelow looks past the elephant in the room (the politics of the film) and instead "focuses in upon the psychology of the individuals actually doing the fighting." Many critics have said that that was the reason the film did so well while others of the same "war" genre flopped. McCalmont also comments on the dehumanizing effect that war has and the way the film portrays that effect through William James, "From the very beginning, James horrifies his team-mates with a total disregard not only for his own safety but also for that of his team and of any surrounding civilians; he refuses to use robots to inspect uncovered bombs, he refuses to tell the rest of the team what he is up to and he habitually takes off his armour as he engages his team in more and more dangerous disposal duties."
3. Scott, A. O. "Soldiers on a Live Wire Between Peril and Protocol." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 June 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.Another one actually by Mr. Scott. Scott openly says that this film is the best non-documentary war film about the war in Iraq yet. He delves into the meat of the matter with James as in addict and says, “'The Hurt Locker' opens with a quote from Chris Hedges, a former war correspondent for The New York Times, declaring that “war is a drug.” And it is certainly possible to see Will James as a hopeless war addict, a danger junkie sacrificing good sense and other people’s safety to his habit. But his collection of mechanisms from bombs that nearly killed him and the blend of serenity and exhilaration that plays over his blunt, boyish features when he finds a new one suggest otherwise."
4.
Denby, David. "Anxiety Tests." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 29 June 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014."...Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” is the most skillful and emotionally involving picture yet made about the conflict..." is what this review of the film starts out with, it then goes on to say how well the script is written. One of the bigger quotes that stood out to me while I was reading this review was, "'The Hurt Locker' narrows the war to the existential confrontation of man and deadly threat." This confrontation is what so many people are addicted to.
5.
Venice, Richard Corliss /. "A Near-Perfect War Film." Time. Time Inc., 04 Sept. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2014."It's a creepy marvel to watch James in action. He has the cool aplomb, analytical acumen and attention to detail of a great athlete, or a master psychopath, maybe both. A quote from former New York Times Iraq expert Christopher Hedges that opens the film says, "War is a drug." Movies often editorialize on this theme: the man who's a misfit back home but an efficient, imaginative killing machine on the battlefield. Bigelow and Boal aren't after that. They're saying that, in a hellish peace-keeping operation like the U.S. deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan (James' previous assignment), the Army needs guys like James." The guys like James are the ones who go above and beyond when the time comes.
This resource is rather interesting because the author dissects the naming of the protagonist, Will James. As it turns out, there was a pragmatist philosopher named William James, who gave a lecture called "The Moral Equivalent of War” in 1909. The protagonist's name harkens back to this traveling lecturer, who was one of the first in his profession. Livingston says, "By putting every teenager to work at a job sponsored, presumably, by the government, he aimed to teach all young people something about the 'military ideals of hardihood and discipline.' That was William James's moral equivalent of war." Livingston also comments on the film's message as well. He says how the film isn't pro/anti-war, its pro-warrior. Bigelow wants people to feel something for these soldiers, she wants us to remember what "Support Our Troops" really means.
2. McCalmont, Jonathan. "The Hurt Locker (2009) – Shadows Of Profundity." Ruthless Culture. N.p., 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.This resource is another one of those that addresses the fact that Bigelow looks past the elephant in the room (the politics of the film) and instead "focuses in upon the psychology of the individuals actually doing the fighting." Many critics have said that that was the reason the film did so well while others of the same "war" genre flopped. McCalmont also comments on the dehumanizing effect that war has and the way the film portrays that effect through William James, "From the very beginning, James horrifies his team-mates with a total disregard not only for his own safety but also for that of his team and of any surrounding civilians; he refuses to use robots to inspect uncovered bombs, he refuses to tell the rest of the team what he is up to and he habitually takes off his armour as he engages his team in more and more dangerous disposal duties."
3. Scott, A. O. "Soldiers on a Live Wire Between Peril and Protocol." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 June 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.Another one actually by Mr. Scott. Scott openly says that this film is the best non-documentary war film about the war in Iraq yet. He delves into the meat of the matter with James as in addict and says, “'The Hurt Locker' opens with a quote from Chris Hedges, a former war correspondent for The New York Times, declaring that “war is a drug.” And it is certainly possible to see Will James as a hopeless war addict, a danger junkie sacrificing good sense and other people’s safety to his habit. But his collection of mechanisms from bombs that nearly killed him and the blend of serenity and exhilaration that plays over his blunt, boyish features when he finds a new one suggest otherwise."
4.
Denby, David. "Anxiety Tests." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 29 June 2009. Web. 09 Mar. 2014."...Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” is the most skillful and emotionally involving picture yet made about the conflict..." is what this review of the film starts out with, it then goes on to say how well the script is written. One of the bigger quotes that stood out to me while I was reading this review was, "'The Hurt Locker' narrows the war to the existential confrontation of man and deadly threat." This confrontation is what so many people are addicted to.
5.
Venice, Richard Corliss /. "A Near-Perfect War Film." Time. Time Inc., 04 Sept. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2014."It's a creepy marvel to watch James in action. He has the cool aplomb, analytical acumen and attention to detail of a great athlete, or a master psychopath, maybe both. A quote from former New York Times Iraq expert Christopher Hedges that opens the film says, "War is a drug." Movies often editorialize on this theme: the man who's a misfit back home but an efficient, imaginative killing machine on the battlefield. Bigelow and Boal aren't after that. They're saying that, in a hellish peace-keeping operation like the U.S. deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan (James' previous assignment), the Army needs guys like James." The guys like James are the ones who go above and beyond when the time comes.