Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker begins with a telling quote: “The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” Most of the words, attributed to anti-war journalist Chris Hedges, fade away, leaving only the phrase “war is a drug.” While Bigelow’s character study certainly revealed the psychological horrors facing American soldiers during the Iraq War, 20 years later, its potent vision of the meaninglessness of war stands tall even as its status as an anti-war statement falls short.
