Hurt Locker has the right combination --Or does it?

By Borys Kit

Who will bring on the Hurt?

That is the question coming out of the North American premiere screening of "The Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow's intense action drama written by journalist Mark Boal about three bomb squad members trying to stay alive and stay sane in Iraq.

Many buyers were there for the screening, which is every bit as tense and stressful as the advance praise promised. Throw in all the adjectives you want, "kinetic," "visceral," "powerful," "intense" (there’s that word again), they all fit. But the problem is, this is a strong film with only the barest of dramatic throughlines. The characters, played by Jeremy Renner (watch his star rise), Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, go from one life-or-death situation, all amazingly rendered, drawing out the theme about the hellishness and yet addictive nature of war, But the story needs something bigger than just a  to focus its energies on.

Some buyers echoed the sentiment. "It needed a solid plot,” said one. Many agreed the movie would sell, but could take a little more time -- twenty-four hours later offers are still being considered.

What everyone is agreeing on is that Bigelow is back. A rare female action director, Bigelow hasn't had much luck with her movies, financially or critically, since 1995's "Strange Days." Here, from the opening sequence, she shows she can be as macho as the best of them. Welcome back, Kathryn. We missed you.