The Hurt Locker shows the madness, insanity, and total recklessness of soldiers trapped in the downward spiral of the Iraq war. The film itself does not take on a political stance. Kathryn Bigelow decided against the spoon-fed political message of previous “War on Terror” films of the time, leaving out the typical war ideology, and chose to focus on a specific team of soldiers. The Hurt Locker, like all film according to Cormolli and Narboni, is inherently political. “Film is part of the economic system, it is also part of the ideological system.” To determine the true ideology of the Hurt Locker and where it fits within Cormolli and Narboni's film categories, one must first understand what ideology means. "Originating as a philosophical term, …show more content…
Like some war stories, they focus on adventure and escape. In the tradition of a long line of famous and infamous carousers and their chroniclers, even hangovers and near-death experiences and visits to the emergency room can be made to seem glamorous.” War stories can also be sinister. They can act as a gateway to the thrill of action and adventure. Many will never experience what war is like, but those who have been on the battlefield have been changed. Nolan Peterson, a former special operations pilot and a combat veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and The Daily Signal’s foreign correspondent, wrote about his experiences with war addiction. "For hours, maybe even days after you evade death, life just seems, well, better. You laugh easier. Things smell better. You notice little details in places and things you have seen countless times before. You want to talk about what happened, you want to tell friends and family that you love them. You live harder and truer than you ever have before. And it feels good." Nolan's descriptions seem to mirror that of a cocaine addict - "When cocaine is taken in small amounts, it produces feelings of empowerment, self-esteem, euphoria, temporarily decreased need for food and rest, and an unusual rush of energy." Even the "coming down" effects seem to mirror each other, with both addicts experiencing depression,