She's still got it

A long, long time ago, I watched a movie called Near Dark and loved it.  Though it was my favorite movie for awhile, in the 20 or so years that have passed since I saw it, it had somewhat fallen off my radar. 

Until last year, when The Hurt Locker was released.  The two movies are directed by the same person: Kathryn Bigelow.

I watched The Hurt Locker Friday night and thought it was great.  It's intense, lean, and well-made.  The movie holds together like a musical chord.  Distinct elements of action, lighting, character, story, vision and sound, melding and twining to form a lasting impression both unified and pitch perfect.

I really liked it.

Neither movie is for everyone, especially those who don't like violence or tension in their film fare. 

The central characters in Near Dark are vampires, in The Hurt Locker they are soldiers in Iraq whose job it is to neutralize explosives that endanger local communities.  Both movies are about navigating terrain between survival and death, all while living in a very heightened state of adrenalin-rush.