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

288 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.

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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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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Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

05/29/2024

War movies like The Hurt Locker show us that Americans are the nuanced protagonists of our own stories, even if those stories occur on other people’s land, in other people’s homes, with other people as the main casualties.

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Pedro Henrique C

@Pedro2005 May 31

The Hurt Locker (2009) It's incredible how the direction of this film manages to make the war environment feel so realistic. The central cast delivers a memorable performance, and the tense atmosphere makes the experience even better.

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Mr S

@Jotaro May 13

The story is good and balanced it worth to watch

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Per S

@RT83737705 Mar 28

Absolute Propaganda! Utter BS, so be aware. Sorry to find such a brilliant actor and actually nice guy like Ralph Fiennes in the cast. The same could be said for Jeremy Renner. Awarding it an Oscar for best picture 2010 was a disaster.

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Miguel A.

@miguelito_13k Mar 27

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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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