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 | Death | Soldier

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 27 wins & 26 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jeremy Renner	...	SSgt. William James
Anthony Mackie	...	Sgt. JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty	...	Spc. Owen Eldridge
Guy Pearce	...	Sgt. Matt Thompson
Ralph Fiennes	...	Contractor Team Leader
David Morse	...	Colonel Reed
Evangeline Lilly	...	Connie James
Christian Camargo	...	Col. 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

Also Known As:

Ölümcül tuzak (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Démineurs (France) [fr]
Estado de Guerra (Portugal) (literal title) [pt]
Guerra ao Terror (Brazil) (DVD title) [pt]
Hurt Locker (Japan: English title) [en]
Piinakamber (Estonia) [et]
Tödliches Kommando - The Hurt Locker (Germany) [de]
The Hurt Locker (Argentina) (festival title) [es]
Vivir al límite (Argentina) (working title) [es]

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:11 | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Amman, Jordan

Company:

Voltage Pictures

Trivia:

A production bus full of Iraqi refugees (hired as extras) overturned on a road heading to production. Nobody was seriously injured. A few people suffered bruises and one person was reported to have a broken nose.

Goofs:

Continuity: After James drops off Sanborn at his barracks, he proceeds to drink some liquor from a bottle before placing it on the table. He puts the bomb suit helmet on in a close up and once the camera zooms back out, the bottle is clearly on the floor next to his bed.

Quotes:

Staff Sergeant William James: There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm gonna die, I want to die comfortable.

Soundtrack:

Khyber Pass

As explosive as its subject.

Without a doubt this is the best war film since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (& I loved BLACK HAWK DOWN & FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS). It is intense & continuously involving. This is Bigelow's best film since (the classic) NEAR DARK.

If the subject, Army bomb squad in Iraq, doesn't intrigue you then you probably think that Shakespeare IN LOVE really did deserve it Best Picture Oscar.

The acting is excellent throughout but there is a star making performance by Jeremy Renner that will leave you stunned. It was smart to cast this film with mostly actors that you don't recognize.

The movie has a documentary feel to it which adds greatly to the tension in it. DP Barry Ackroyd also shot the unnerving UNITED 93. The editing is virtually perfect. You know exactly where you are at in the rubble strewn streets where life fights like weeds in cracked concrete to take hold (again). And the shots never linger too long (or too short).

Bigelow has always given us beautifully stylized scenes, but except for one very effective slo-mo shot she seems to have sacrificed that trait for the story (or shooting schedule). It doesn't look like "a Kathryn Bigelow film".

But few films rise above their script. Mark Boal's screenplay is a lesson on how to tell a great story with a minimum of exposition. The characters are defined almost entirely by their actions. I hope the Oscars reward this movie well, but I'm afraid that like an aforementioned film that it may be too intense.

I drove 112 miles to Sherman Oaks to see it & it was worth it. I can't wait to see it again.