The Hurt Locker (2008)

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writer (WGA):

Mark Boal (written by)

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (Italy)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

You'll know when you're in it.

Plot:

Iraq. Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb.

Plot Keywords:

Bomb | Sergeant | Army | Soldier | Death

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 72 wins & 46 nominations

US Showtimes:

Culver Plaza Theatres

12:00pm | 2:40 | 5:20 | 8:00

(personalize)

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

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and language.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45024) | Ireland:15A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA | Japan:PG12 | Hong Kong:IIB | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Amman, Jordan

Company:

Voltage Pictures

Trivia:

Jordan is a safe place. So safe that actors didn't want to have bodyguards as was first intended. There was no Jordanian military acting as security for the film. Security- set dressing and onset - was provided by a private company.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the movie, all the soldiers are wearing the digital ACU (Army Combat Uniform). While the opening scene takes place in Baghdad in 2004, the first units to be issued the ACU did not receive them until February of 2005. The correct uniform for the time period would have been the three color DCU (Desert Combat Uniform).

Quotes:

Staff Sergeant William James: [to Iraqi street kid] I wanna buy another DVD. But, if it's shaky - look at me - out of focus, or any way not 100%, I'm gonna chop off your head with a dull knife. How do you feel about - I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding
[hands him his money]
Staff Sergeant William James: you're a good kid,
[hugging kid's head]
Staff Sergeant William James: you're a good kid, aren't ya...

Movie Connections:

References Amadeus (1984)

Soundtrack:

Your Smiling Face

A Highly Overrated Film

The Hurt Locker is one of the most overrated movies ever. Although there are some good sequences in the film, they never really amount to anything. There is very little plot in the movie. In other words, this film has no purpose. Most of the characters are cardboard cut-outs. The only exception to this is the protagonist of the story(whatever little there is)played brilliantly by Jeremy Renker. The film meanders all over the place. There are episodes in the film which are very loosely connected (if at all) to each other. This certainly isn't my idea of "The Best War Film In Years", etc... Watch Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan instead. They are far better examples of the genre. Kathryn Bigelow's direction is one of the weakest efforts I have seen and I will be highly surprised if she wins the Academy Award this year. Indeed, I am astounded that she was nominated at all. Just because she is a woman is no reason for a nomination. Michael Mann for Public Enemies was a much stronger contender. All in all, I feel this is an average, flawed film which suffers from a weak screenplay and terrible direction. Watch it at your own risk. If you liked Platoon or the other war films I mentioned, then there is a good chance you will hate this one.