The Hurt Locker (2008)

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.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writer:

Mark Boal

Stars:

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

Won 6 Oscars. Another 89 wins & 57 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Renner	...	Sergeant First Class William James
Anthony Mackie	...	Sergeant JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty	...	Specialist Owen Eldridge
Guy Pearce	...	Staff 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. James behaves 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 | sergeant | soldier | death | 

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Taglines:

Cut the red one

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic Turkish

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Vivir al límite

Filming Locations:

Amman, Jordan

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£308,887 (UK) (28 August 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

Part of the shooting took place during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which is observed by fasting from sunrise to sundown. Non-Muslim crew members hid out and ate in tents and specialty hotels with windows covered by carpets (out of respect, and per the Jordanian law). Smoking, eating or drinking in public during daylight hours is banned in many Middle Eastern countries during Ramadan, including Jordan, and is punishable with jail time.

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Goofs

When James initially hands Sanborn the Barrett M107 magazine, before Eldridge cleans it off, the rounds in the magazine have no bullets. In the next shot, when Sanborn receives the magazine, the rounds have bullets in them.

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Quotes

Staff Sergeant William James: Everyone's a coward about something.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Referenced in Chuck: Chuck Versus the A-Team (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Your Smiling Face"
Written by Norman Candler
Performed by The Norman Candler Strings
Courtesy of APM Music

User Reviews

The Brilliant Explosion Of Kathryn Bigelow

I spent the entire film grabbing the arms of my seat. I was there in Irak, steps away from my death and the death of those around me. The tension, the suspense is at times breathtaking, literally. "The Hurt Locker" is a miracle and the definitive consecration of a great filmmaker, Kathryn Bigelow. This is also a rare occasion in which I went to see the film without having read a single review or knowing anything about it. One should try to do that more often because the impact of the surprise translates into pure pleasure and in this case, sometimes, you have to look away from the unmitigated horror. Jeremy Renner is a real find. He is superb. A kind soul, wild man with enough arrogance to make him appear reckless and yet his humanity precedes him. People may commit the mistake of avoiding this gem thinking that it's just a war film. Don't. It isn't. It's a great, engrossing film about human emotions, not to be missed.