The Hurt Locker (2008)

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writer:

Mark Boal

Stars:

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

Won 6 Oscars. Another 110 wins & 117 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Renner	...	Staff Sergeant William James
Anthony Mackie	...	Sergeant JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty	...	Specialist Owen Eldridge
Guy Pearce	...	Sergeant Matt Thompson
Ralph Fiennes	...	Contractor Team Leader
David Morse	...	Colonel Reed
Evangeline Lilly	...	Connie James
Christian Camargo	...	Colonel John Cambridge
Suhail Aldabbach	...	Black Suit Man (as Suhail Al-Dabbach)
Christopher Sayegh	...	Beckham
Nabil Koni	...	Professor Nabil
Sam Spruell	...	Contractor Charlie
Sam Redford	...	Contractor Jimmy
Feisal Sadoun	...	Contractor Feisal
Barrie Rice	...	Contractor Chris

Storyline

An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat, behaving as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.

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Plot Keywords:

bomb | army | iraq | death | dangerous job | 

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Taglines:

You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

31 July 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Démineurs

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$145,352 (USA) (26 June 2009)

Gross:

$15,700,000 (USA) (5 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Voltage Pictures, Grosvenor Park Media, Film Capital Europe Funds (FCEF )

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Nicolas Chartier caused a controversy in February 2010 by sending out emails to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members, requesting that they vote for this film for the Best Picture Academy Award, "not a '$500 million film,'" an obvious reference to Avatar (2009), another frontrunner for Best Picture. AMPAS rules prohibit members from sending mailings disparaging competing films. In the end, the Academy stopped short of denying Chartier from winning an Oscar, and instead revoked his invitation to the awards ceremony; he received his Best Picture Oscar afterwards.

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Goofs

When the Iraqi cab driver runs the line and stops inches from James, James pulls his gun and eventually shoots out the car's windshield. The glass shatters as though constructed of tempered glass. A typical windshield is constructed of laminated glass and would leave a well-defined bullet hole if shot.

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Quotes

Contractor Team Leader: We have a flat tire. Can you help us?
Staff Sergeant William James: Sure, yeah. You got any spares?
Contractor Team Leader: Well, we have spares, but we used up our wrench.
Staff Sergeant William James: How do you use up a wrench?
Contractor Team Leader: Well, the, uh... , the guy over there with the red thing on his head, he threw it at someone.
Staff Sergeant William James: [laughs] All right.
[gives thumbs up to Eldridge]
Contractor Team Leader: Thank you.
[introduces the soldiers]
Contractor Team Leader: This Chris. This is the wrench man.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Referenced in Graceland: Hair of the Dog (2013)

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Soundtracks

Fear (Is Big Business)
Written by Al Jourgensen (as Jourgensen) / Tommy Victor (as Victor) / Ministry
Performed by Ministry
Courtesy of 13th Planet Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A Movie to See -- Not to Enjoy

Except for the first few minutes of "Saving Private Ryan," no film I've ever seen comes closer than "The Hurt Locker" to portraying the randomness, senselessness, brutality and -- yes -- the excitement of battle. With the exception of Ralph Fiennes who makes a brief appearance early in the movie, there are no stars and few recognizable actors in this story about a small group of men whose mission is to defuse improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq. Frequently under surveillance, though not always certain whether it is by curious bystanders or enemies in civilian clothing, these men are at risk every moment they are in the field.

The principal character, Sgt. First Class William James (Jeremy Renner) is one of those who seem to get an adrenaline rush in the face of danger. His colleagues, Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackle) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geaghty), see no glamor in their task. Sanborn is a workman-like soldier, trying to do his duty in as safe a manner as possible. Eldridge is in a near-constant state of panic, eager to be somewhere else, any place else. They are not presented as stereotypes, however, nor is anyone else in this absorbing movie. Everyone in the field knows he may die at any moment, and how they manage to hold up in the searing heat of Iraq in a war they aren't asked to understand may be the main point of this film, if indeed it has any point other than War is Hell and the Iraqi War is a particularly terrible slice of Hell.

Kathryn Bigelow deserves every award she won for "The Hurt Locker." It is completely unsentimentalized. There is no moral drawn, except what the viewer concludes based on the judgments he or she brought to the movie and the impact of the story on those judgments. Of its type, it is far and away the best war movie I've ever seen.