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 120 wins & 129 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 Dabbach	...	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:

imperialism | iraq | loss of friend | bomb | dangerous job | 

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Taglines:

You'll know when you're in it.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film features four Marvel Cinematic Universe actors: Jeremy Renner, who plays Hawkeye in Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016) and as Ronin in Avengers:Endgame (2019), Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers:Endgame (2019), Guy Pearce, who played Aldrich Killian in Iron Man Three (2013), and finally, Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018).

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Goofs

The Barrett jams and James hands Sanborn the magazine of .50 cal rounds. Before the blood gets cleaned off, there is a scene where the magazine only has empty cartridges in it, without any bullets.

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Quotes

Opening Quote by Chris Hedges: The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Referenced in Hiccups: Flirt Locker (2011)

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Soundtracks

Your Smiling Face
Written by Gerhard Narholz (as Norman Candler)
Performed by The Norman Candler Strings
Courtesy of APM Music

User Reviews

An engrossing film that takes one's breath away.

Here we have one of the best films of the last decade. A war film that succeeds in showing what it's like to be in the armed forces nowadays. It was directed be the underrated Kathryn Bigelow. The focus is on American soldiers in the Iraq war. But it's not about them being involved in assaults or shootouts. Instead we're shown the lives of a bomb squad. Jeremy Renner is commanding as Sergeant First Class William James. He provides an excellent performance. So do Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as his partners. They really do act like real soldiers. The Hurt Locker consists of a series of bomb threats that the team have to overcome. These are all thrilling, tense. What makes the film really shine, however, is its anti-war messages. In the tradition of Apocalypse Now (1979) and Come And See (1985) The Hurt Locker shows that people get hurt and killed in wars, even if they don't deserve it. It shows that the victims are just like anyone else except that they're in a war zone. The film doesn't directly criticize the American war effort. There are no discussions about whether the Iraq war is moral or immoral. Bigelow's direction is truly impressive. She certainly knows how to work with actors. The acting is obviously superb, and this is the film's greatest strength. Also notable is the cinematography by Barry Ackroyd. The war hasn't looked this realistic or this interesting in cinema until The Hurt Locker. The images captured are thoughtful and memorable. No wonder the film was the big winner at the 2010 Academy Awards. Some films that win Best Picture don't deserve it, but The Hurt Locker sure did deserve it. It's one of the best war films ever, and I highly recommend it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

31 July 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Démineur

Filming Locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$145,352, 28 June 2009

Gross USA:

$17,017,811

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$49,230,772

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