New Male Hero

1183 Words5 Pages
Between a man in tights with super powers, and the president of the United States, it is safe to say that the modern expectation for male greatness has become something relatively unattainable. Whether the general population in America expects their husbands, boyfriends, fathers, and brothers to wear a cape and fly is up for debate; however, the belief that they have the capability to take on any feat as Batman or Superman would is not exactly preposterous. In her Academy Award winning film, The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow strips down the male hero, humanizing man, and debunking the common cultural belief of what a man ‘should be.’ She takes an American soldier, a role that epitomizes the strong American male, and makes clear that no amount of testosterone will give a man the capabilities we as Americans expect him to have. Jeremy Renner plays Sergeant William James, the leader of a new team responsible for Explosive Ordnance Disposal, a job, which requires him to stare death in the face on a daily basis. Amidst the multiple levels of horror in the war in Iraq, James leads his subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, into bomb zones recklessly, placing all of their lives at unnecessary risk. In each of these high-tension situations, the three men emulate different areas of the male psyche. Sanborn plays a tough guy, but one not willing to take unnecessary risk for the thrill of it. Eldridge on the other hand is a soldier that refuses to succumb to his stereotype because he can’t overcome his genuine fear. He foils James, who in attempts to be the hero America wants him to be, relinquishes all reasonable fear. This is problematic for James, a human being. He becomes reliant on the thrill of danger, with no regard for the safety of others, and shows the audience a much uglier hero than Clark Kent in his spandex and cape. Kathryn Bigelow is not just telling the story of
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