Hurt Locker is a movie about SFC William James in the Iraq war as he works as the leader of a Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, which consists of Sergeant JT Sanborn, Specialist Owen Eldridge , and himself. Through the movie we are led by James, who is a very wild and lively personality, as he leads his unit in disarming IEDs and other types of bombs, while risking their lives to do so. The film is very intense and displays graphic images of war and the effects of war on the human psyche, particularly with American troops in Iraq. The only part of the movie that I strongly disliked was the ending, where James finally gets home to his family, and he realizes that Iraq was actually a good place for him to be, so he leaves his family and goes back. If James really liked war better than his family, then that is really sickening. He is then showing preference towards an Empire type gift, and not preferring the God-given gift. The message that I received from The Hurt Locker was that is was trying to show that as long as there is war; we should find our niche within it.
While I do not think that the original intent of this movie was entirely true or righteous, there are still some lessons we can take from it. The real human purpose is to live in harmony among each other, while praising God and respecting his world that we live in. But since we are in a world that has fallen into sin, not everyone praises Goad and respects his world, as Hurt Locker attests. A major origin of evil comes from war, and we see this in Hurt Locker through some of the character’s attitudes towards war, and how it affects them personally. The Hurt Locker also shows us how the empire wants us to submit to our instincts with war, such as supporting it, and spreading it. But really what we should be doing is loving our neighbors, promoting peace, and building alliances, which is what the kingdom looks like in view of war.
1. How should major governments come up with alternatives to war?
2. What are some specific characteristics of Empire that cause/ are in support of wars? What are some characteristics of Kingdom that subvert war?
Wow that's pretty crazy. I've wanted to see this, but haven't gotten the chance yet. Is his family a normal, kind, and caring family that the main character would miss? Or is he just a little crazy and loves war? I can see how the empire would want him to get rid of our personalities and just submit to our instincts when we go into war, whereas the Kingdom wants us to do the opposite. This film sounds very interesting, I'll have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing lots of praise about this film from my dad, I have really been wanting to see this movie! I read the review on the movie from The New York Times along with the comments that followed and from some of the comments it seems like although it may be sickening, it is a reality of war for soldiers can be more comfortable in the combat zone than at home. Soldiers who have had to make difficult life or death choices in the war zone find that decisions made at home are mundane, making for life to seem dull and lacking the adrenaline rush.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is one of my favorites from 2009. A near-perfect war movie. It shows the courage and bravery of the soldiers as they risk their lives daily carrying out their jobs and is extremely intense, with great use of suspense as they are disarming bombs or going through abandoned buildings. but at the same time it also shows the brutality and futility of war and all that these men have to go through for a cause that even they question in a land where they are greeted as the oppressors and not liberators. It leads us to question why we are at war in Iraq through its portrayal of normal daily life for a bomb removal squad. I am definitely going to re-watch this film in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have not yet seen this film, but it sounds painfully compelling. War is one of those difficult topics when discussing how to build the Kingdom of God right here and now. War does not glorify God, that's not to say the soldiers can't glorify God when forced to fight, but war itself does not build the Kingdom. War is a touchy subject in this context because in order to subvert the Empire we must build the Kingdom. But, how can one person, or even a country, stop two forces so completely at odds that they are willing to shed blood, from going to war? It does not seem realistic to say we could ever subvert the Empire to the extent of stopping war altogether. So, why do we even try? Why do peace rallies continue? Why do we think we could stop such an immense evil in the world? Well, because if we don't ever try, we can't even say we ever resisted. No matter how improbable a change may be, it must begin somewhere. Peace protests happen because those who gather believe, they have hope, and because sometimes they work (this is an example of the Empire being subverted). War is an aspect of Empire that is too vast for one man to handle, but God can completely subvert the Empire. God's Kingdom will turn the world upside down by recreating the Empire. If we as Christians believe this will happen at some point down the road, then it is our duty to subvert the Empire day in and day out by consuming ourselves with the Kingdom. This means building the Kingdom in areas of life that the Empire tells us is impossible to make change.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat conversation, everyone! We've been looking forward to seeing this film, but now we'll have to put it on the top of the list.
ReplyDeleteWar certainly is a complicated subject when examining themes of the kingdom and empire. The machinations of empire are interwoven with the stories we tell ourselves about why war is necessary. For example, some of the largest companies in the world earn record profits during wartime because they're building weapons and providing services for war. These companies need to provide a legitimating story to their shareholders, employees and the general public so everyone can feel good about the things in which they are involved.
I'm not trying to be a conspiracy theorist or anything, but don't you think billions and billions of dollars in profit might influence how people/companies both tell and hear stories about why we go to war?
I didn't even mention all of the personal stories happening in the midst of imperial narratives about war. I'm interested to see how it plays out in the film, but Brad's comments about James' decision to return to Iraq seem very insightful. We are shaped by our practices; so, if someone's practices are entirely and intensely war-related for long periods of time, they will find it very difficult to re-enter a social situation built around very different norms. It seems like there are all kinds of things going on in "The Hurt Locker" related to this ...
ReplyDeleteOh yeah ... one more thing. Can you tell I'm interested in this topic? For some interesting alternatives to war, check out the documentary and book called "A Force More Powerful": http://www.aforcemorepowerful.org/
ReplyDeleteIt's essentially a history of nonviolence throughout the 20th century, including actions in India, South Africa, the Philippines, Nazi Germany and more. Check it out ... it's very inspiring!