Kathryn Bigelow: new action realist

ABSTRACT

This article argues that Kathryn Bigelow is an auteur of new action realism, a distinct sub-genre within contemporary action cinema. Bigelow’s films entail unresolved narratives and an aesthetic characterised by claustrophobic immediacy and obscuration. Through discussion of theory, genre, narrative and style in The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, I argue that Bigelow problematises notions of film realism. Bigelow’s work brings the viewer into sometimes uncomfortable proximity with the violent action depicted onscreen, this proximity being a key feature of new action realism. The presentation is explicit and sudden, creating a discomforting nearness through immediacy. Such imagery, particularly evident in The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty, echoes footage captured by military personnel, news reporters and civilians on portable cameras and smart phones, recalling news reports of 9/11 and similar reports of crisis. With this aesthetic of intimacy and immediacy, Bigelow’s new action realism hints at as much as it explicitly presents. This incomplete visual display imbues her films with a sense of confusion and hopelessness, presenting a world of fear and paranoia that is simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, captured by and yet obscured by its medium.

KEYWORDS:

• Kathryn Bigelow
• new action realism
• digital film
• Zero Dark Thirty
• The Hurt Locker

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. All timestamp references are to the UK video on demand release.

2. It is worth noting that the film’s omission reflects real world events: following the death of bin Laden, President Barack Obama ordered no photographs of the body were to be released (see Mardell 2011).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vincent M. Gaine

Vincent M. Gaine is a lecturer and researcher in film, media and creative industries, a film critic and podcaster. He researches the intersection of globalisation, liminality and identity politics in media. He has published extensively on Hollywood film, auteurs and genres, including world-leading studies of Michael Mann and superhero cinema. His reviews can be found at vincentmgaine.wordpress.com and thecriticalcritics.com.