The Hurt Locker presents an intense and unflinching 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. James behaves 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.
Winner of the BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound.
Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing & Best Sound Editing.
Play.com Review One of the best films of 2009,
The Hurt Locker bears similarities to David Simon and Ed Burns'
Generation Kill in its non-judgemental depiction of military life and the motivations of soldiers. It's a complicated and sometimes uncomfortable look into a world in which most of us will never get closer to than on our TV screens.
The fact is some soldiers, for one reason or another, like the thrill of war. Sgt. James (charismatically played by James Renner -
28 Weeks Later) is one such soldier. Not one to do things by the book, James is right at the centre of this devastating action film. Unhinged, but not without his demons, James regularly comes into conflict with his new teammates: the aspirational but conventional Sgt. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie -
Notorious) and rabbit in the headlights Spc. Eldridge (Brian Geraghty -
The Guardian). The proverbial `hurt locker' is one they barely keep shut. There's a job to be done, even if it does draw them closer to hell with each passing moment.
Film buffs will be pleased to learn that
The Hurt Locker features sterling cameos from Guy Pearce (
The Road), David Morse (
16 Blocks) and Ralph Fiennes (briefly reunited with his
Strange Days director). Bigelow knows her action, as
Point Break,
K-19: The Widowmaker and
Near Dark fans will testify, and here she has created a battleground where even the camera is nervous - danger, even when it doesn't come, feels like it's everywhere.
Moving through a series increasingly fraught bomb disposals, the movie presents an apolitical view of soldiering that, whilst not being unique to the genre (Kubrick's
Paths To Glory, Coppola's
Apocalypse Now, and Fuller's
The Big Red One), captures a chaos and intensity seldom seen elsewhere. It's refreshing to watch a war film that doesn't preach endlessly about the nature of war, but shows you enough horror for you to make up your own mind. Overall, we can't urge you strongly enough to open
The Hurt Locker and experience this masterpiece from a master director - it's an experience you will not forget in a hurry.