The Hurt Locker

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant William James
• Anthony Mackie as Sergeant J. T. Sanborn
• Brian Geraghty as Specialist Owen Eldridge
• Guy Pearce as Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson
• Christian Camargo as Lieutenant Colonel John Cambridge
• David Morse as Colonel Reed
• Ralph Fiennes as the leader of a Private Military Company unit
• Evangeline Lilly as Connie James
• Christopher Sayegh as Beckham
• Malcolm Barrett as Sergeant Foster
• Sam Spruell as Contractor Charlie
• Suhail Dabbach as a man forced to wear a bomb vest

Storyline:

Plot unknowAn intense 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, behaving 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.

About Movie:

The Hurt Locker is an American war action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and co-written by Bigelow and Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. The film follows an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War as they navigate the dangers of disarming bombs while dealing with the psychological toll of combat.

The screenplay was inspired by Boal’s experiences while embedded with a bomb squad in Iraq. The story centers on Staff Sergeant William James (Renner), who replaces the team’s previous leader after he is killed in action. The film explores James’s reckless approach to his dangerous job and the impact of war on him and his fellow soldiers, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Geraghty).

The Hurt Locker premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2008 before its theatrical release in the United States on June 26, 2009. It received widespread critical acclaim for its direction, performances, screenplay, editing, musical score, cinematography, sound design, and intense action sequences. However, some veterans criticized the film for its portrayal of combat as unrealistic.

The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Bigelow (making her the first woman to win this award), and Best Original Screenplay. It grossed approximately $49.2 million worldwide, making it one of the lowest-grossing films to win Best Picture.

Considered one of the most influential war films of the 2000s and the 21st century, The Hurt Locker was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2020 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Its intense portrayal of warfare and the psychological effects on soldiers has resonated with audiences and critics alike, solidifying its status as a modern classic in war cinema.

Budget & Box Office Collection: