Hurt Locker

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 (USA) / 2009 (USA) / 2009 06 26 (USA)

UPC: 025192048562

Studio: Summit

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Profanity, War Violence]

Summary: Based on the personal wartime experiences of journalist Mark Boal (who adapted his experiences with a bomb squad into a fact-based, yet fictional story), director Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq War-set action thriller The Hurt Locker presents the conflict in the Middle East from the perspective of those who witnessed the fighting firsthand -- the soldiers. As an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team tactfully navigates the streets of present-day Iraq, they face the constant threat of death from incoming bombs and sharp-shooting snipers. In Baghdad, roadside bombs are a common danger. The Army is working to make the city a safer place for Americans and Iraqis, so when it comes to dismantling IEDs (improvised explosive devices) the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) crew is always on their game. But protecting the public isn't easy when there's no room for error, and every second spent dismantling a bomb is another second spent flirting with death. Now, as three fearless bomb technicians take on the most dangerous job in Baghdad, it's only a matter of time before one of them gets sent to "the hurt locker." Jeremy Renner, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Fiennes star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: War

Awards: Film Presented – Venice International Film Festival Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Best Supporting Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Ensemble – Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Picture – Boston Society of Film Critics Breakthrough Performance by an Actor – National Board of Review Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Actor – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Director – Boston Society of Film Critics Best Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Director – Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Best Picture – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Original Score – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Director – National Society of Film Critics Best Director – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Picture – National Society of Film Critics Best Actor – National Society of Film Critics Best Actor – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Director – New York Film Critics Circle Best Director – Austin Film Critics Best Cinematography – Austin Film Critics Best Picture – Online Film Critics Association Best Actor – Screen Actors Guild Best Director – Online Film Critics Association Best Editing – Online Film Critics Association Best Ensemble – Screen Actors Guild Best Actor – Online Film Critics Association Best Editing – Online Film Critics Association Best Edited Feature - Drama – American Cinema Editors Guild Best Edited Feature - Drama – American Cinema Editors Guild Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Art Direction in a Contemporary Film – Art Directors Guild Producer of the Year – Producers Guild of America Best Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Cinematography – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Mixing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Sound Editing – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Director – Directors Guild of America Best Picture – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Editing – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Director – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Cinematography – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Special Visual Effects – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Picture – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Actor – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Editing – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Sound – British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Features: Audio commentary with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal
The Hurt Locker: Behind the scenes
Image gallery

Hurt Locker

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 01/12/2010

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DHMA null, DS Dolby Surround (4.0), DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 130 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish

Subtitles: Spanish

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Jeremy Wheeler

There's an underlying theme both in front of and behind the camera in the explosive war thriller The Hurt Locker -- and that is craft. The story follows bomb squad Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner) as he comes to terms with the fact that nothing much else matters in his life other than being the best at what he can do -- which is strap on a 100-lb. suit in 110+ degree heat and walk into a dangerous situation that he knows he can handle. With 873 successful bomb diffusions under his belt, James doesn't blink, he just does. The same goes for director Kathryn Bigelow, who has already proven herself capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the big boys of action, but hits yet another confident stride with this exercise in high-pressure filmmaking. The reason to see the engrossing Hurt Locker isn't so much to soak in the politics of war or be overwhelmed by an overblown Hollywood budget, but to be taken on a journey of one breathless scene of tension after another. On the way, the heart of the picture makes itself apparent, but until then, this is an exemplary display of craft that's sure to take your breath away. The year is 2004, and the picture begins with a disastrous bomb-disarmament scene, laying the groundwork for just how dangerous a locale Baghdad really is for these troops. As if disarming bombs weren't enough, the soldiers have to keep on constant alert for insurgents who could be anyone around them. For this, the Army needs a three-man squad -- the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) crew -- a small force consisting of a point person and two others supplying lookout for trouble that can come from all sides. Such is the case for Sgt. J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), who after losing their previous leader, are assigned to work under Staff Sgt. James (Renner), a maverick soldier whose efficient ways don't always end up on the right side of protocol. As the men's tour winds down, the pressure gets higher and higher for the crew, with one dangerous day leading to the next. Nerves are shot; people live and die at the switch of a button or the pull of a trigger -- thus it goes when you live in "the hurt locker." Some have labeled The Hurt Locker an action film, but that's a bit deceiving. What it lacks in traditional combat scenes, it more than makes up for in nail-biting tension. With each and every set piece, Bigelow amps up the pressure in precise ways that keep the audience nailed to their seats, as if they are right there in the midst of the war zone. The absence of a score in key scenes adds to the realism, as does the handheld cinematography, complete with the same kind of slight shake and quick zooms used to best effect within documentary filmmaking. And when the picture isn't ramping up your heart rate, it switches gears and becomes an intimate character study in what war does to humankind. Whether it's facing deadly obstacles that you live to overcome or being saddled with a crew member whose adrenaline addiction has put you directly in the line of fire, the hardships of war don't leave you with a lot of easy ways to return to normality in its aftermath. Though apolitical in much of its intentions, the film does nail home that fact -- which might end up being one of the strongest wartime messages of all. Not bad for such a meager little (by today's standards) action film. Not bad at all. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Kathryn Bigelow  Director 
Kathryn Bigelow  Producer 
Tony Mark  Executive Producer 
Marco Beltrami  Composer (Music Score) 
Greg Shapiro  Producer 
Buck Sanders  Composer (Music Score) 
Mark Boal  Producer 
Mark Boal  Screenwriter 
Nicolas Chartier  Producer 
Jeremy Renner  Actor 
Anthony Mackie  Actor 
Brian Geraghty  Actor 
Guy Pearce  Actor 
Ralph Fiennes  Actor 
David Morse  Actor 
Evangeline Lilly  Actor 
Christian Camargo  Actor 
Christopher Sayegh  Actor 
Suhail Al-Dabbach  Actor 
Sam Spruell  Actor 
Erin Gann  Actor 
Justin Campbell  Actor 
Malcolm Barrett  Actor 
Ryan Tramont  Actor 

Country: USA