Last night I watched The Hurt Locker, which I acquired for 10 RMB at the Silk Street Market DVD store just above the subway entrance.
In short, I thought it was a powerful movie with excellent directing and camerawork. The strongest point, however, was that the acting did not get in the way of establishing the mood and the story, which is what sets it wholly apart from most other war movies. There is no hero, no villain, no deus ex machina, and you find yourself not expecting any of these. Watching The Hurt Locker therefore makes you feel as if you are just a fly-on-the-helmet of the soldiers who do one of the most dangerous and necessary jobs in war. I think it will be looked upon in the future as an accurate and artistically notable look into what it was like to actually be there, in Iraq, being paranoid of every pair of eyes and every window you could see as you ventured in your bomb-suit with your fingers crossed towards unexploded ordinance.
Spoilers follow.