Démineurs

Vu dans le cadre du « Challenge Tour – La chasse aux films », défi numéro 3 : un film réalisé par une femme. Si les membres de l’Académie américaine se montraient bienveillants de sorte à ne pas oublier de récompenser une femme réalisatrice une fois tous les cent ans, je verrais facilement d’autres candidates que l’ex de James Cameron ! Bien que je me sois cruellement ennuyé sur presque toute la durée, je me suis dit qu’au moins, ce n’était pas l’horrible propagande à la con qu’était American Sniper et, rien que pour ça, je lui mettrais bien une étoile. Cela dit, il y a une scène qui m’a tellement révulsé que je suis finalement forcé de sortir la note « Navet ! ». Il ne me reste désormais plus que Zero Dark Thirty avant de déclarer une bonne fois pour toutes que je ne regarderai plus jamais de films de guerre américains débiles. (10/06/2015)

Avec ce film, je me bats. Toute l'atmosphère et la tension sont tirées d'un fait banal, à savoir qu'une bombe peut (ou peut ne pas) exploser à tout moment. Les personnages sont sans intérêt, les dialogues sont affreux et la structure dramatique est presque inexistante (il s'agit simplement de quelques situations entrelacées que les personnages doivent résoudre en ayant la mort dans les yeux). D'un autre côté, tout cela est d'autant plus réaliste et précieux en tant que témoignage de ces endroits. Peut-être avons-nous seulement voulu clarifier si nous voulions faire un thriller captivant ou un docu-fiction intéressant. (20/12/2009)

It's a mystery to me how this brilliant flick didn’t get a wider audience response. What Stone's Platoon meant for an "alternative look" at the Vietnam conflict, Kathryn Bigelow's film means for the current U.S. Army mission in Iraq, and for its guys, who are there trembling for their lives and counting each day until the end of their tour of duty. The film doesn't moralise, it doesn't lecture, it just offers blood, sweat, frustration, the dust of Iraqi roads, fear of death and general paranoia, where even an Iraqi with a camera can be a potential terrorist. Not since Mendes's Jarhead has there been such a good military-themed film. (13/05/2009)

Kathryn Bigelow understands the tough guy heart better than half of Hollywood's major league action directors. This film about a group of bomb squad technicians stuck in the heart of Iraq and struggling daily with the problem of "red or blue?" could not have been made in any other way than as a suspenseful thriller with a sultry atmosphere of hot streets and desert distances. This is perhaps the first cinematic contribution to the subject that doesn't moralize about the good/bad side of warfare or try to understand the souls of Islamic fighters. Instead, it gives us a glimpse into the lives of those who are left with nothing but cynicism and the belief that any proper course of action to disarm is one that doesn't make you scream. Scenes of pulling bombs out of the ground, searching for a detonator in a car, or saving a suicide bomber are all worthy of a discharge because they make your blood run cold. However, the director is ultimately undermined by the screenwriter's stiffer dialogue and the cheap escapade with little Beckham. Otherwise, it’s damn great! 4 ½. (04/02/2009)

Full Metal Jacket for the new millennium – militant, cynical and predatory. A ballbusting documentary drama about a war-addicted people, about overgrown boys for whom normal life is far too normal. Bigelow loaded a cart full of naturalism, the hot Iraqi atmosphere and brilliant acting. This type of dynamically filmed war drama has been lacking since the days when Scott filmed Black Hawk Down. Like him, Bigelow leaves aside the moral assessment of the conflict and instead goes deep into the characters' psyche and adds a solid portion of irony (something that was missing in Black Hawk Down). There is great portion of raw fight scenes and sweaty dialogues of the average soldier for two solid hours. The Hurt Locker is not trying to get to the heart of the Iraq war, but rather simply capture the strange soul of a warrior. And in this respect, Kathryn Bigelow did a better and more responsive job than her male colleagues. In addition to balls, the film also has empathy... For me, The Hurt Locker is one of the American film highlights of 2009. Perhaps even the best. (08/02/2010)