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

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for war violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first dramatic feature film about the Iraq War to win an Academy Award, and the first post-Vietnam War movie about a modern war to win the Best Picture Academy Award. The first war movie to win the Best Picture Academy Award since The English Patient (1996). This is the first war movie to win a Best Director Academy Award since Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002).

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Goofs

LTC Cambridge wears two U.S. flags on his ACUs. The flag is only worn on the right shoulder. The spot on the left shoulder where he wears the extra flag is reserved for special skill tabs.

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Quotes

Sergeant JT Sanborn: [looking at a photo from Will's box] Who's that?
Staff Sergeant William James: That's my son. He's ' tough little bastard. Nothin' like me.
Sergeant JT Sanborn: You mean to tell me you married?
Staff Sergeant William James: Well, you know, I had a girlfriend and, uh, she got pregnant, so we got married, and we got divorced... or, you know, I thought we got divorced. I mean, she's still living in the house and she says we're still together, so I... I don't know. Wha-what does... what does that make her? I don't know.
Sergeant JT Sanborn: Dumb... for still being with your ass.
[laughs]
Staff Sergeant William James: [kicks at Sanborn]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Featured in The War You Don't See (2010)

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Soundtracks

Khyber Pass
Written by Al Jourgensen (as Jourgensen) / Ministry / Paul Raven (as Raven) / Tommy Victor (as Victor)
Performed by Ministry
Courtesy of 13th Planet Records, Inc.

User Reviews

The exciting field of bomb technician

It's not the job you want your kids to aspire to. Or your spouse. Or anyone you care about. But we are so thankful there are people who do this.

This sad tale is centered on the unique skills of the tragically necessary field of bomb technician. Bomb techs, of course, are those heroic individuals who get called when a bomb or other explosive device is discovered. Their job, under life and death pressure daily, is to defuse the bomb and make things safe for the rest of us. Unfortunately, in war environments, this is a daily occurrence. What kind of person can do this kind of work? How do they do it day in and day out? Someone has to be a little crazy to do this in the first place, don’t they? These are the questions this movie explores. The movie evokes sadness, inspiration, sympathy, concern, and even awe as we watch the heroes of this movie struggle with their daily grind.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

31 July 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hurt Locker

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