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:

Cut the red wire.

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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

It was James Cameron who convinced his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow to direct this film. She originally had planned on doing another project and wasn't sure about doing this film. Cameron read it and told her to do this film, and it ended up earning her an Oscar nomination and award for Best Director. In fact, the film was nominated in nine categories against Cameron's Avatar (2009), and won six awards, including Best Picture. Cameron himself had said, "I wouldn't bet against her."

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Goofs

Jeremy Renner is credited as "Staff Sergeant William James," an E-6. However, his character wears the rank of an E-7, Sergeant First Class (3 chevrons and 2 rockers).

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Quotes

Colonel John Cambridge: You know, this doesn't have to be a bad time in your life. Going to war is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It could be fun.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, not even a title.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Greatest War Movies of All Time (2016)

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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 mind-blowing war drama, a must-see!

For some of my friends this was just a solid action movie, nothing else. I watched it yesterday and for me it was much more than just action, this movie was a deeply affecting series of shots that make truly feel the war in Iraq and make you see the sacrifice that's going on out there.

There are a few things that everyone must notice while watching the movie. There is some superb acting present throughout the whole movie, especially by Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie and I wouldn't be surprised to see one or more Oscar nominations for acting. There are also some pretty extreme editing achievements, that even I, an amateur movie-lover, could see. Cinematography and some other technical achievements are stunning as well. As far as technical part of the film goes, this movie is more than successful, it is to be expected that there will be some technical Oscar nominations as well. Writing is simple but that's the way it is and all my congratulations go to Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow for creating such a powerful war-drama that sticks with you even long after watching this film.

I honestly hope that the Academy members won't forget abut this phenomenal movie achievement. I recommend everyone to watch this "tool" that allows us to see what the word WAR really means.

Best regards from Slovenia

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