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The Hurt Locker
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The Hurt Locker (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 42 | slideshow) Videos (see all 22)
The Hurt Locker (2008) -- In Baghdad, members of a bomb-disposal team near the end of their rotation deadline are pulled into a deadly game of urban combat by a new sergeant (Renner).
The Hurt Locker (2008) -- The Hurt Locker Clip - "Drop the Phone"
The Hurt Locker (2008) -- Trailer for this film about a soldier who disarms bombs
The Hurt Locker (2008) -- Trailer for this action film about a soldier who disarms bombs
The Hurt Locker (2008) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer - Trailer Deutsch Internation...

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   23,347 votes
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Up 45% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Mark Boal (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Hurt Locker on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 October 2008 (Italy) more
Genre:
Tagline:
You'll know when you're in it. more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 27 wins & 26 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(1385 articles)
The Oscar Combination
 (From FilmExperience. 6 January 2010, 6:13 PM, PST)

'Hurt Locker' Takes Online Film Critics Honors
 (From Get The Big Picture. 6 January 2010, 3:52 PM, PST)

User Reviews:
The work of a master filmmaker more (203 total)
US Showtimes:

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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for war violence and language.
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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 Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:11 | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During filming, three, four or more hand-held super 16mm cameras were used to film scenes in documentary style. Nearly two hundred hours of footage was shot at an eye-popping 100:1 shooting ratio (a higher ratio of expended film than the notorious Francis Ford Coppola epic, Apocalypse Now (1979)). more
Goofs:
Errors in geography: It is obvious that most (if not all) of the shooting occurred outside Iraq. The environment (such us, the buildings, the streets, and the natural scenery) are clearly in Jordan. Also, the accent used by most of the Arab actors in the film is Jordanian, which is very different from the Iraqi accent. Not to mention the look of the actors, which is clearly not Iraqi. more
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. more
Soundtrack:
Khyber Pass more

FAQ

Where does the title come from?
Does "Beckham" die?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
more
124 out of 155 people found the following review useful.
The work of a master filmmaker, 18 March 2009
10/10
Author: krigler from Budapest, Hungary

The Hurt Locker is a serious character study and a taut, suspenseful action thriller at once.

The subject matter itself - the work of a bomb expert, possibly one of the most nerve-racking jobs on the planet - yields most of the suspense but Bigelow manages to squeeze out every bit of tension of the premise.

This film to me was very apolitical - though set in Iraq, it is distinguished from most of the Iraq-themed war films in that it concentrates much more on the job itself than the political environment. Iraq seemed more like a backdrop - any other war would do, The Hurt Locker does not preach about this one specifically.

The story is deeply emotional, depicting a thoroughly disturbed individual's life in hell. Jeremy Renner gives an incredibly powerful performance as an EOD officer completely hooked on adrenaline stemming from his everyday close shaves with death.

All aspects of film-making are top-notch, from the brilliantly subversive screenplay through vivid cinematography, masterful directing and perfectly paced editing.

In its storytelling the filmmakers wisely break with traditional Hollywood narrative techniques. There is no clear antagonist, no rising action, no obvious character development and no climax. And yet the film manages to be more interesting, tense and suspenseful than any Hollywood action thriller I've seen in years while making a powerful, yet subtle statement about the insane addiction that is war. Kudos for everyone involved for making this film without compromising.

This is pure quality, cinematic storytelling at its best, a thinking man's actioner.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Hurt Locker (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Worst Iraq movie ever! sean-steve07
Just Saw It... The Sniper Scene was Intense! promudvayne
Similar to Clouzot's 'The Wages of Fear' G_Unit-2
DVD release date? tjsterc17
Generic Mediocre Army Film... whats the fuss? ModestAustin811
Absolutely deserves the Best Picture Oscar cowboymovies
more

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