The Hurt Locker

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The Hurt Locker

R

2009

2h 15m

War

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

289 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad. As their tour of duty enters its final weeks, the men face a set of increasingly hazardous situations, any of which could end their lives in an explosive instant.

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Critics Consensus

A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic, Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is thus far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

09/30/2022

... An unflinching look at the personal cost of being really good at a really tough job.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

01/17/2018

The Hurt Locker is without a doubt one of the best war pictures I have ever seen, and I have seen most of them.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/12/2017

B+

I probably should have seen this movie when I had the chance in theaters, but as a DVD it didn't live up to the hype, though it was well done.

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Ezequiel Boetti

EscribiendoCine

Feb 3

8/10

...The Hurt Locker is an intense story that addresses war, shocking for its brutality and for a regrettable factor: its undesirable relevance today. [Full review in Spanish]

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11

3/5

Every actor gave their best, and while some of the sequences are effective, the overall message undercut some of the concepts it was trying to get across.

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Josh Parham

Next Best Picture

Aug 22

8/10

It crafts a mesmerizing display that manifests intense suspense sequences while building an intimate space for these characters to interact and explore their feelings in this constrictive arena.

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Miguel A.

@miguelito_13k 16h

Great movie. Great acting. Keep you on the edge of your seat.

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Jenifer D.

@Sierebel Mar 2

Shows some of the struggles and things these soldiers dealt with. Very intense scenes at times. Very good acting!

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Zane T

@ZaneThind Feb 16

A departure from the typical war movie. Instead we get to see the personal toll of what the Iraqi war cost. We see more emotional beats rather than big battles and major typical explosions. Kathryn's direction on this is very good as she uses slow motion techniques to her advantage and shaky camera movements to make the viewer feel they are in the war themselves.

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Ray C

@RT17651982 Feb 10

They really give Guy Pearce and Ralph Fiennes, like, five minutes of screen time each before killing them off. The Hurt Locker is solid—by no means phenomenal, and not nearly as good as some people make it out to be—but it’s undeniably a good movie. Jeremy Renner deserves way more credit as an actor, because he’s great here, and so are Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. It’s a really talented and kind of underrated trio. The sniper scene in the middle of the film is absolutely the highlight, a perfect example of just how tense this movie can be. There are also a few emotional beats that really got to me, I won’t lie. It runs a bit long and can feel slow at times, but it’s absolutely worth watching.

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S P

@S1337 Feb 4

A very peculiar film that doesn't ressemble any other. It seldomly shifts between styles and varies its intensity to give us a very diverse experience on a bomb squad team battling their own trauma and inner problems as well as fighting the enemy. A glimpse into the different mindsets of different people who face death daily and the toll it takes on your sanity. What does one really seek in life ?

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Joshua B

@WildSquirrel Jan 28

Watching this in a world of Russian aggression and Trump escalation, this film hits differently. Wars are fought by people, and this film shows us that. You feel the grueling and brutal experiences of the soldiers. The run time feels appropriate. One gripe I have is that, although I am a fan of cameos in films, I was left wanting more from one particular British actor whose role ends up feeling too slight.

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Kathryn Bigelow

Director

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

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Synopsis

Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are members of a bomb-disposal unit in Baghdad. As their tour of duty enters its final weeks, the men face a set of increasingly hazardous situations, any of which could end their lives in an explosive instant.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Producer: Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
Distributor: Summit Media
Production Co: Kingsgate Films, Voltage Pictures, First Light Production
Rating: R (War Violence|Language)
Genre: War, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2009, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.7M
Runtime: 2h 15m

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