The Hurt Locker
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The 2010 Academy Award winner for Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Editing.
This war zone thriller follows three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad as they search for and disarm a series of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad.
The story, a look at the psychology of bomb technicians and the effects of risk and danger on the human psyche, is a fictional tale inspired by real events experienced by journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who followed a special bomb unit in Iraq. The title refers to the soldier vernacular to speak of explosions as sending you to the 'hurt locker'.
Starring
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly
Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow ('Point Break', 'K-19: The Widowmaker')
Written by
Mark Boal
Festivals & Awards
Winner of 6 Academy Awards, 2010: Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing. Winner of 6 BAFTA Awards, 2010: Best Film, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Sound.
(R16) Contains Violence, Offensive Language & Content That May Disturb | USA | Official Website
USER REVIEWS
Add your two cents...
Average rating 
Hummm not great
Disappointed in Hurt Locker, eagerly waited for the release but we all found it a bit boring. Which might be because we watched Green Zone two nights before, Green Zone wins hands down.
Reviewed by LeePRESS REVIEWS
Average rating 
Chicago Sun-Times
A great film, an intelligent film, a film shot clearly so that we know exactly who everybody is and where they are and what they’re doing and why.
Click to read full review.Empire (UK)
The most literally exciting film you will see this year. Forget the off-putting banner of another Iraq movie -- go, watch, marvel, endure and book in the palliative of a stiff drink afterwards.
Click to read full review.Hollywood Reporter
Tensely action-packed and muscularly directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this tale of an elite U.S. army bomb disposal unit in Baghdad is a familiar story in new clothes, targeted at the young male demographic.
Click to read full review.New York Times
The best nondocumentary American feature made yet about the war in Iraq.
Click to read full review.Total Film (UK)
Bigelow makes a welcome return with a thrilling, edgy and, yes, explosive film about the toughest job in the world. What’s The Hurt Locker? Something special.
Click to read full review.Variety (USA)
Boal's script stirs a little of everything into the pot, which boils down into seven setpieces divided by brief intervals of camaraderie/conflict among the three protags.
Click to read full review.ViewAuckland.co.nz (Matt Turner)
Sharply written, superbly directed and extremely tense thriller with a terrific central performance from rising star Jeremy Renner.
Click to read full review.Flicks.co.nz "The Hurt Locker" Movie Review
Flicks.co.nz rating
Rebecca Barry, Flicks.co.nz
It certainly didn't hurt The Hurt Locker that this war story had a war story of its own. Director Kathryn Bigelow fought on the cinematic frontline with her ex-husband James Cameron, whose Avatar lost to the Locker at the Oscars. Regardless, Bigelow's all-too-real account of life for an army bomb disposal unit in the Iraq war was deserving of the win, combining white- knuckle tension, sizzling dialogue and poignant insight into the lives of the bravest guys in Baghdad.
That Bigelow keeps the focus on the bomb squad's relentless duties means she never strays into emotive battle- fantasy territory, nor does she take political sides. But that doesn't mean this isn't brimming with intensity, and while there are plenty of explosions and moments of intense gunfire, there are also periods of eerie silence.
The workmanlike way these men carry out their life and death duties is awe-inspiring, the pressure not to make a mistake only exacerbated by the searing temperatures. A scene in which the bomb disposal unit let off steam like overgrown kids pumped with brawn and booze is just one of many that show these guys are only human. Especially with characters such as the fearless and frequently reckless Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner).
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