“A Different Kind of War Film: The Ethos of the Individual Soldier in The Hurt Locker”

by Mikal Lambdin | Xchanges 11.2

Conclusion

By making the character of James its first priority, The Hurt Locker was able to accomplish an artistic feat that is rarely seen in film, war or otherwise. It does not offer a soldier who is macho, romantic, and heroic all in one, always ready to make the necessary sacrifice and unburden his soul at the opportune moment. Instead, it offers a soldier who is authentic, unique, and relatable — who is real — and it uses anonymity, detachment, and vulnerability to achieve that realness. James’s ethos as an honest individual is owed to these three rhetorical hallmarks of his character, each strategically expressed through countless, subtle ways, whether a word, a facial expression, or a tone of voice. Through the careful crafting of James as an individual, The Hurt Locker remains objective, yet simultaneously sends an important message: perhaps there is no soldier archetype. Rather, soldier, and war itself, is a context, which can contain any number of different persons. The Hurt Locker gives us one of them.