Jeremy Renner

Jeremy Renner Propels Clever ‘The Bourne Legacy’

BrianTT — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:18:38 -0400

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Tony Gilroy’s world of double crosses, super spies, and covert government programs returns in the writer/director’s clever expansion of the world he created as the writer of “The Bourne Identity,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.” The Oscar winner doesn’t just offer a traditional sequel, presenting a new leading man and a story that takes place in the same world of international espionage as its predecessors but feels more like a spin-off than a follow-up. To that end, there are some elements of “The Bourne Legacy” that feel a bit too much like the less-accomplished sibling of a successful older brother but not enough to offset what truly does work about this smart, engaging thriller.

As the tag line says, “There was never just one.” While Jason Bourne (Matt Damon in the first three movies, who is seen only in pictures here) is busy with his own action on the other side of the world, another participant in the program that turned him into a super-spy is traversing snowy mountains filled with deadly wolves in an effort to reach safety and more of the medication he needs to keep him above average. Meet Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a determined, old-fashioned action hero – the kind of direct, driven character that we don’t often see in Hollywood films any more. The lack of background in Cross could be seen as either a lack of depth in the character (and, therefore, a flaw) or a streamlined approach to action. I found Renner and Gilroy’s approach refreshing as they give Cross just enough three-dimensionality to make his driven approach worth watching and can expand on the character in future installments.

The Bourne Legacy
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

Where’s Aaron Cross going? He’s trying to save his own life. It turns out that the program that created Cross and Bourne is being burned to the ground before it can hit the public eye. In back rooms, nefarious government types like Col. Eric Byer (Edward Norton), Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), and Admiral Mark Turso (Stacy Keach) try to track down everyone involved in the human experiment and eliminate them with due diligence. (Recognizable faces from the rest of the “Bourne” movies like Albert Finney, David Strathairn, and Joan Allen have little more than cameos.) As more bodies keep falling, Cross eventually teams up with Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz), one of the physical architects of the program and someone else that people like Byer want dead. Cross and Shearing probably wouldn’t make it on their own but they just might survive if they stick together.

Knowing that the actual meat of “The Bourne Legacy” takes a little while to reveal itself (Renner & Weisz aren’t together until well into the second act), Gilroy and his team attempt to create thrills through confusion for most of the opening arc of their film. As Cross is meeting with a fellow spy (a great turn by Oscar Isaac) in a cottage in the middle of snowy nowhere, Byer and his fellow government villains are trying to clean up their mess, and Shearing is going through her routine in her lab, audiences are likely to greet the material with a raised eyebrow and confused stare. The opening act of “The Bourne Legacy” is light on action (even with a well-stage scene involving a drone trying to blow Cross up with a missile) and heavy on baffling code names. It’s a dialogue-driven film through and through and if viewers go to it looking for non-stop action, they’re going to be disappointed.

However, if you remember that Gilroy’s gift is with dialogue & plot (in films like “Michael Clayton” and “Duplicity”) and not action than your expectations will be solidly met. “The Bourne Legacy” is tight, engaging, and never boring. It’s a 135-minute film that simply zips by to a somewhat disappointing and abrupt ending. Not to spoil anything but this is one of those films that seems like the first act of a trilogy. It doesn’t really have a solid conclusion in any way but ask yourself when the last time you saw a Hollywood movie that ran over two hours that you were surprised to see was over and weren’t just hoping that the credits would roll soon. After that somewhat awkward opening act – once Renner & Weisz get together – “The Bourne Legacy” simply flies by.

The Bourne Legacy
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

As for performances, everyone here is stellar. I wish Renner had been given a few more chances to inject personality into Cross as he is in a few key scenes (the ones with Isaac and a few later ones with Weisz) but the script doesn’t really allow it. Perhaps in the sequel. Weisz is typically fantastic after she’s allowed to get over a few “screaming, yelling, panic” scenes that don’t quite work. And Norton is stellar in his buttoned-up bad guy role even if he too isn’t quite given the arc Hollywood movie goers will expect.

What is “The Bourne Legacy”? Is it the start of another franchise or an expansion of an old one? Is it a spy drama or an action blockbuster? The identity crisis, lack of an ending, and comparatively less action could lead some people to view it as a disappointment but there’s too much here that works – Gilroy’s crisp dialogue, the performances, all of the technical elements – to dismiss it as easily as some critics already have. Sure, it’s not the best of the series (that would be “Supremacy”) but it is easily as solid a start to a new franchise as “The Bourne Identity.” Think of it as the transition film. I look forward to seeing what Aaron Cross does next.

“The Bourne Legacy” stars Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach, Scott Glenn, Oscar Isaac, Donna Murphy, Corey Stoll, and Zeljko Ivanek. It was written and directed by Tony Gilroy. It is rated PG-13 and opens on August 10, 2012.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Summer Movie Season Explodes with ‘The Avengers’

BrianTT — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:56:47 -0400

Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – When I was a kid, summer movies were an event. They weren’t just marketing tricks, young adult adaptations, or unnecessary sequels. They were blockbusters that you put on the calendar and counted the days until their arrival. Something of that summer movie magic has been lost in recent years – the sense that you weren’t just seeing a movie, you were experiencing something special. I felt that again watching “The Avengers,” a high quality, incredibly entertaining, joyous summer event. If I was 12, it would be my favorite movie ever made.

If you liked “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” or “Thor,” I would be baffled if you didn’t love “The Avengers.” It’s really that simple. It’s, by far, the best movie involving these characters and rivals for placement on the list of the best superheroes movies ever made. The first half is a bit talky and the film is naturally crowded but all criticism falls away during the final hour, which is quite simply one of the most impressive and entertaining hours of action in movie history. Writer/director Joss Whedon eschews the typical rollercoaster action formula of peaks and valleys for what is essentially one giant hill. He takes you up slowly for about ninety minutes and then plunges you through some of the most well-choreographed, well-written, and riveting action in years for the last sixty. Overall, Whedon has gotten so much right here where other Marvel directors did not. Kenneth Branagh, Jon Favreau, and Joe Johnson should take notes.

The Avengers
Photo credit: Disney/Marvel

Naturally, the first act of “The Avengers” has two goals – set up the villain and get the band together, something that good Marvel movie fans know has been in the works for years. Where the villains have been weak in most of the Marvel films, Whedon is not about to give short shrift to his bad guy, giving Tom Hiddleston’s Loki some of the best dialogue and most remarkable scenes in the film. This is a great superhero villain and Hiddleston completely delivers, playing Loki as both charismatic and remarkably weak. He is a villain who feels he is born to rule but knows deep in his character that he is unable to do so. It’s a great big bad and a stellar performance.

But you don’t go to “The Avengers” for the bad guy. You go for the heroes. And you know most of them by now. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man/Tony Stark (with a cameo by Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts), Chris Evans does the most charismatic work of his career as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth appears as Thor, Scarlett Johansson really delivers as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye, and Samuel L. Jackson moves from cameo player to regular as Nick Fury’s role is notably beefed up here. Mark Ruffalo steps into the oversized shoes of Bruce Banner as the third actor to play The Hulk on film and is fantastic, better than Eric Bana or Edward Norton.

The Avengers
Photo credit: Disney/Marvel

All of these characters work together more interestingly as an ensemble than they ever did on their own. One of many wonderful surprises in “The Avengers” is the interplay between the major players. Whedon emphasizes the team aspect of the film, never letting one character become more interesting than the others. It’s hard to believe but they ALL work both in their own individual arcs and as a team. It’s a testament to Whedon’s writing and directorial abilities that he could keep so many arcs and characters under this much control. And so many of the film’s best moments come courtesy of this new team attitude from the wonderful alpha male interplay between Downey & Evans to the fascinating dynamic between Renner & Johansson to the amazing interplay of characters in the final act. Whedon has crafted a film that feels like it has no superfluous characters – like everyone on The Avengers is actually essential to the safety of the universe.

More than anything else, it’s the scope of “The Avengers” that is truly stunning. Whedon treats this movie like the event that it should be and his comic book background truly helps. There are no punches — there are smashes. There are no collisions — there are explosions. Everything is bigger, louder, and more intense, which may sound aggravating to some but Whedon’s ability with character grounds the extreme qualities of the film where it matters. It’s the end-of-the-world intensity of a “Transformers” film (something that has been missing from most Marvel movies) with people you actually care about and stakes that feel like they matter.

The Avengers
Photo credit: Disney/Marvel

The structure of “The Avengers” allows for an amazing final hour but it also creates a long set-up. Those not completely loyal to the Marvel universe will get a little squirmy during the many conversations in the first hour and a half about the safety of the universe, power, teamwork, science, etc. There’s way more talking than most will expect in a film like “The Avengers” (although Whedon fans shouldn’t be surprised…the man loves dialogue). There are times when I feel like “The Avengers” over-explains itself. “OK, we get it. Loki is crazy, he’s bringing some alien creatures to destroy Earth, and only the world’s greatest heroes can stop him. We got that from the ads. Now let’s get on with it.”

However, I do wonder if the explosive New York-set finale would work as well without all of that set-up. There’s something more satisfying about the way Cap and Iron Man work together in the conclusion after their verbal barbs in the second one. Watching the Hulk finally be a hero is more rewarding because Ruffalo was allowed to convey Bruce Banner’s pain before. What I’m saying is that even as you feel the length of the first half, go with it. Let the rollercoaster climb the hill and don’t complain. The ride down the other side is worth the wait. And rarely have I wanted to take the ride again more than I did when this thrilling summer event was over.

“The Avengers” stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Stellan Skarsgard, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, and Tom Hiddleston. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is rated PG-13 and opens on May 4, 2012.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ Rocks Your Holiday

BrianTT — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:52:41 -0500

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Brad Bird proves that he can make the leap from Pixar to action with one of the best genre films of the year, the adrenalized “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” Proving there is a way to make a big budget franchise installment that feels vibrant, alive, and like more than just a pathetic retread of what has come before (unlike this year’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Sherlock Holmes” entries), “Ghost Protocol” delivers with breakneck pace and stellar action choreography. This movie wastes little time – it’s a lean, mean, action machine.

After a brief intro in which an IMF agent (Josh Holloway of “LOST”) is assassinated by a gorgeous killer (Lea Seydoux), Bird’s film starts its international adventure (nothing takes place stateside until the epilogue) in a Russian prison. While Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) lies in his bed, bouncing a rock against the wall, two agents are working to break him out. Technical master Benji (Simon Pegg) taps into the system and unlocks the prisoner’s doors, starting a riot. In a scene scored to Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” Hunt works through the fracas to find the prisoner who had fed him information and save him from the chaos as well, arriving at the extraction point moments before Jane (Paula Patton) makes the floor disappear.

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Hunt can barely catch his breath before he’s forced into another mission that he simply must choose to accept. It turns out that the blonde assassin got Russian nuclear launch codes in that prologue and now Hunt, Benji, and Jane have to break into the Kremlin in an attempt to get the other piece of the puzzle that could start WWIII in the wrong hands. The movie really starts when the nefarious Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) piggy backs on Hunt’s mission, steals a nuclear device, and frames the IMF by blowing up the Kremlin. Completely disavowed, Hunt, Jane, and Benji are joined by a U.S. Agent named Brandt (Jeremy Renner) in their effort to avert nuclear war.

“Ghost Protocol” flies from Russia to Dubai to Mumbai in a series of increasingly-remarkable action sequences. What’s perhaps most enjoyable about “Protocol” is the on-the-ground (or in-the-sky) approach to action. What I mean by that is no one here has super powers. Every punch connects. Every kick shatters. Every jump, spin, turn – this is the kind of action choreography you don’t see that often any more in that one can tell that most of it is happening in the scene, not in post-production. It adds an undeniable visceral charge to the entire film, upping the stakes and getting the viewer to the edge of his seat.

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

No more so than in the soon-to-be-legendary Burj Tower sequence in which I expect some viewers to have to close their eyes as they develop a new fear of heights. Especially in IMAX, this is one of the most remarkable scenes of the year as Hunt climbs the tallest building in the world with high-tech gloves that start malfunctioning and a sandstorm on the horizon. Honestly, everything that happens in Dubai, from the outside of the building to the inside to the sand-driven car chase that follows is worth the price of admission. Twice.

The best thing about “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is how incredibly well Bird and his team have trimmed the fat, even on a movie that runs over two hours. There could have been a bit more fine-tuning in the first act but the rest of this movie FLIES. It is incredibly difficult to make a movie that’s this heavy with action that doesn’t once feel monotonous or repetitive. Each location, each character, each wonderful bit of technology – the film is constantly refreshing itself so as not to lose that rollercoaster feeling for which we go to films like this one.

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

I also loved the filmmaker’s understanding of what has always been a hallmark of the “M:I” series — technology. Contact lenses with facial recognition software embedded in them, magnetic suits, and, of course, masks are just a part of the cavalcade of technical tricks. Cruise and the producers on the film wisely realize that in a world where our smart phones are constantly updating and our houses are becoming technological fortresses, the best way to refresh a series like this one is to place an emphasis on the toys of the spy trade.

It’s not flawless. Paula Patton proves again that she has very limited range, coming off especially false in a few emotional beats about the loss of her former partner. There could have been a more talented actress for the role, although it should be noted that she handles the physical stuff admirably, both the action and a seduction scene in the final act. It’s when she’s forced to try and make the character three-dimensional (something the amazing Renner does opposite her) that the film falters the most. There’s also an oddly tacked-on epilogue that feels like a product of a test screening that wanted a more emotional ending.

These are minor complaints for a major action movie. Many questioned whether or not the Pixar wunderkind could make the transition from animation to live action. He does so with style. I can’t wait to see what he could do with an original property. Actually, scratch that. I kind of just want everyone to come back for another one of these movies. When’s the last time you said that about a fourth entry in a franchise?

“Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” stars Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, and Lea Seydoux. It was written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec and directed by Brad Bird. It is rated PG-13 and will be released at IMAX theaters on December 16th, 2011, followed by theaters everywhere on December 21st, 2011. See it in IMAX if you can.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Ben Affleck’s ‘The Town’ Proves ‘Gone Baby Gone’ Wasn’t Beginner’s Luck

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 18:35:18 -0400

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Only three years since the Chicago Film Critics Association awarded Ben Affleck as our most promising filmmaker, he’s back in the director’s seat a second time with “The Town”. While the film dramatically centers on the business of robbery in his familiar streets of Boston, Affleck importantly proves that his 2007 Oscar-nominated film “Gone Baby Gone” wasn’t just beginner’s luck.

Affleck’s success with “Gone Baby Gone” as a writer and director has not only been duplicated three years later but actually hones his ability to act. When Ben Affleck is playing the role of the filmmaker on subject matter he cares about most, we now see two examples of films that literally are made because he’s monopolizing the most important elements of their creation.

Jon Hamm (center) as FBI special agent Adam Frawley in the crime drama “The Town”.
Image credit: Claire Folger, Warner Bros.

Though the hardcore dramatic style of “The Town” is very similar to “Gone Baby Gone,” there’s just a small slathering of humor thrown in with calculated comic timing. But Affleck is clear his second time around that he once again wants you on the edge of your seat – guessing what’s coming next – while developing an emotional attachment to his characters. And he succeeds on all three fronts.

While Blake Lively of “Gossip Girl” fame makes a remarkable transformation into a junkie and sexual deviant, the estrogen in “The Town” is led amorously by Rebecca Hall. Just like her role in Woody Allen’s spot-on “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” she’s once again the naïve, innocent damsel who’s being pursued by the rough-around-the-edges guy in distress.

Rebecca Hall as Claire Keesey in “The Town”.
Image credit: Claire Folger, Warner Bros.

Just as Woody Allen puts Hall’s character to a tough choice in his 2008 film (starring Javier Bardem of Oscar-winning “No Country for Old Men” fame), “The Town” asks two enormously challenging questions: Do we choose our best friend or our great love? Also, do we choose our great love or the law? “The Town” constantly makes you keenly aware of Ben Affleck’s and Rebecca Hall’s internal struggle as they seek the answers to these big questions.

While it takes Affleck 130 minutes to adapt Chuck Hogan’s novel “Prince of Thieves” and some may feel that’s too much time, you can tell this new filmmaker was absolutely aware that he’s requesting a lot of time from you. In return, this film’s editing room took seriously the role of cutting moments that drag and plot lines that don’t pay off.

Jeremy Renner (left) as Jem Coughlin and Ben Affleck as Doug MacRay in “The Town”.
Image credit: Warner Bros.

In “The Town,” Ben Affleck did resist casting his brother, Casey Affleck, like he did in his directorial debut of “Gone Baby Gone”. That said, he certainly couldn’t resist telling his new story in Boston where “Good Will Hunting” made him so famous.

Ben Affleck wrote “The Town” along with Peter Craig just as he wrote “Gone Baby Gone” and “Good Will Hunting”. Under the radar, Affleck did direct 1993’s “I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney”.

Surprisingly, Matt Damon was nowhere to be found in “The Town” as these two broke out in Hollywood together. (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon do have an untitled collaboration they’re working on currently.)

Chris Cooper as Stephen MacRay in “The Town”.
Image credit: Warner Bros.

While you could have seen Damon as Affleck’s best friend in this film, Jeremy Renner (the star of the 2010 Oscar-winning best picture “The Hurt Locker”) filled what could have been Damon’s shoes with true Boston authenticity, grit and believability.

Jeremy Renner as Jem Coughlin in “The Town”.
Image credit: Claire Folger, Warner Bros.

Similar to his feel in “The Hurt Locker,” Renner once again sold the sense that he’s a loose cannon who could explode at any given whim. His character in “The Town” can best be remembered for accepting the violent attack a group of men at Ben Affleck’s request without hesitation, without question and even with an unspoken sense of pleasure.

And Jon Hamm – the star of the Golden Globe-winning “Mad Men” – as the FBI agent who’s after Affleck’s gaggle of robbing misfits successfully transfers to you his stress and obsession for catching his prey and putting them behind federal bars.

A cameo by Chris Cooper gave him just enough spotlight to be memorable in a short few moments without wasting his appearance. A short role by Pete Postlethwaite – who is remembered for his unforgettable character Kobayashi in 1995’s “The Usual Suspects” – is perfectly cast and intelligently used for creating impact with little screen time.

Despite widespread appraise from the nation’s critics and highly likely interest by academy members of the 2011 Oscars, one word Affleck doesn’t earn from “The Town” is modesty.

We can forgive a director for casting himself into the primary role. We can forgive a director for looking like he’s posing for GQ with each camera frame. But Affleck needn’t always miss all the flying bullets and needs to allow his other actors to shine as brightly.

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When Affleck comes back for his third charm in the director’s seat of a major motion picture, we’ll need to see diversity either with more comedy, more humility or less of himself as the star. Only then will we know he’s really got what it takes for directorial stardom without the formula he’s using now that works so well.

“The Town,” which is written and directed by Ben Affleck, stars Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, Dennis McLaughlin, Corena Chase and Brian Scannell from writers Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard. The film, which is based on the novel “Prince of Thieves” by Chuck Hogan, is rated “R” for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use. The run time of “The Town” is 130 minutes and the film opened everywhere on Sept. 17, 2010.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Riveting, Must-See ‘The Hurt Locker’ is Flawless Filmmaking

BrianTT — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:26:38 -0400

Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Filmmaking simply doesn’t get much more riveting than Kathryn Bigelow’s incredible “The Hurt Locker,” a cinematic experience unlike any other that you will have this year. Building and releasing tension better than her peers have in a long time, Bigelow has made not only the best Iraq War movie to date but the best film of 2009 at just over the halfway point.

With “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow takes viewers to the other side of the world to bring into relatable perspective a daily grind that most of us couldn’t even imagine. The leads in “The Hurt Locker” are soldiers in Iraq who diffuse bombs for a living, often in range of sniper fire and often with materials and equipment tragically unable to protect them should something go wrong.

(Left to right) Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie star in The Hurt Locker.
Photo credit: Jonathan Olley

“The Hurt Locker” is a visceral, daring, adrenalin-pumping experience that brings a profession that would seem nearly impossible to identify with into relatable, genuine context. It could be your friend, your son, your neighbor, or even you thrown into the nightmare of “The Hurt Locker”.

Jeremy Renner stars in The Hurt Locker.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

The film opens with a shocking death (that I won’t spoil) that allows Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner of “The Unusuals”) to join an expert group of bomb-diffusing soldiers in Iraq. The enemy often leaves a bomb in the middle of the road to kill passing troops. When someone sees something suspicious - wires sticking out of some garbage, metal where there should only be sand - they call in James, Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty).

The fragile Eldridge typically works the perimeter (checking rooftops for snipers and other suspicious characters) while Sanborn stays in constant communication with James. Our crazy hero puts on a bomb suit and heads straight to the location to diffuse a bomb that could easily blow up a few city blocks if he makes one mistake.

Sanborn and Eldridge are relatively by-the-book guys but James is one card short of a full deck. It may sound cliched to say that he’s reckless, but he undeniably puts his fellow soldiers in danger. The thing is that James also undeniably gets the job done. He’s defused over 800 bombs by the time we meet him and he’s out there doing the job that most people would consider cruel and unusual punishment.

“The Hurt Locker” uses a somewhat episodic structure (although I don’t mean that as a criticism because it’s an incredibly effective screenwriting decision) - linking together several of these men’s most insane assignments, including a suicide bomber with second thoughts, a dead child turned into a human explosive, and an amazing sequence in the middle of the desert with a sniper attack that will make your skin crawl. It’s a cliched, critical phrase, but this is truly edge-of-the-seat material.

(Left to right) Brian Geraghty and Guy Pearce star in The Hurt Locker.
Photo credit: Jonathan Olley

I know what you’re thinking. Most Iraq War movies to date have failed. The “soldier on the edge” thing was overdone decades ago. Trust me when I tell you that it has rarely, if ever, been done with such dramatic believability. Credit to the great Bigelow (who I expect will get an Oscar nomination for director for this work), but also credit Renner, who gives arguably the best performance of the year. (It’s him or Sam Rockwell in “Moon”. Don’t make me choose until I see both films again.)

Renner is simply spectacular and the rest of the supporting cast is strong as well, but most of the praise for “The Hurt Locker” will fall at the feet of the great Kathryn Bigelow. On a directorial level, nothing comes close in 2009 to what she accomplishes here. She opens with a scene that builds tension better than any action blockbuster climax of the summer season and sets the tone that will drive the entire film. She turns up the tension and then releases it for a second before she starts turning the dial again. It’s how she manages the pace of the film that make it a masterpiece.

But don’t think that “The Hurt Locker” is all tension. There are beautiful moments of character development and levity, which, of course, make the “action” scenes that much more believable and tense.

Life in a bomb disposal unit in the Middle East is probably not like anything that you or I could possibly understand, but “The Hurt Locker” believably takes us there. It throws us in the middle of the action, makes us sweat and cringe, and spits us out the other side. Don’t miss it.

‘The Hurt Locker’ stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse. It was written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It opens in Chicago on July 10th, 2009. It is rated R.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com