This is one of the craziest movies I have seen in a very long time. I mean, this thing is brutal.
The thing is though, it's all completely necessary. Yes, it's war. Yes, they are in Iraq. Nothing is over the top. It is exactly as in-the-shit as it needs to be, but that level of stark violence is absolutely essential to the film's main point.
The amazing thing is, at first glance it is of course a war movie. Below the surface, there is an incredible amount of character development. After the first ten minutes, you realize that you're practically in it with them, knuckles white with suspense and terror. There is no backing away; Katheryn Bigelow doesn't give you an ounce of slack. There is plenty of action, but calling it action doesn't nearly do it justice. The movie has a number of (necessary) brilliant combat scenes. They're not your typical chaotic battles. The camera follows around the main 3 or 4 troops as they search and destroy, which makes it controlled and logical. As far as I know, Bigelow typically does this in her films, so that her action scenes are coherent and followable. It's an incredible technique, and it makes it an absolutely amazing film.
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