The Hurt Locker

Play trailer

The Hurt Locker

R

Released Jul 31, 2009

2h 7m

War

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

287 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

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

Sep 30, 2022

Full Review

Ed Koch

The Atlantic

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

Jan 17, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

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.

Rated: B+

Sep 12, 2017

Full Review

Josh Parham

Next Best Picture

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.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 22, 2025

Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

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.

May 29, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

More enduring than your typical war movie, Bigelow has constructed a suspenseful and confident motion picture about addiction, filled with biting observations about why some go to war, and then why some stay.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 4, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme bacaninha, o roteiro é mais ou menos, as cenas são bacaninhas, a história é bacaninha, o elenco é mais ou menos, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são mais ou menos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/02/25

Full Review

Denis D

I have no idea how or why Kathryn Bigelow got an Oscar for directing this movie; is one of the worst pieces of directing I have ever come across. In the hands of a decent director, a lot more could have been made of Mark Boal's screenplay, but this was a total disaster in my opinion. The jerky camerwork and ridiculous closeups was liable to have most people throwing up before the end of the film, due to its nausea inducing motion. The acting was very good, particularly that of Jeremy Renner, but the directing really did a great disservice to the actors. This film might be worth a remake in the hands of a skilled and artistic director. Very disappointed.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/23/25

Full Review

Jose C

Keeps you on your toes with the suspense. Definitely worth the watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

HameZz O

Entertaining enough. There's definitely an intensity that is kept well. An intensity you can definitely feel even when you know what's going to happen.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

Full Review

Lance U.

The movie was amazing!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/13/25

Full Review

Justin W

Great war storytelling, amongst the best I ever watch and I had watched most of it. Kudos, right up there with the best.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/24/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Not Enough Time

2:55

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Insurgent Sniper

4:21

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Stuff That Almost Killed Me

2:24

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Wild Man

2:00

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - What Are We Shooting At?

3:16

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - We're Done

2:48

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Got a Wire

2:19

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - Die Comfortable

1:21

The Hurt Locker: Official Clip - You Wanna Back Up?

2:52

View more videos

Brothers

63%

62%

Brothers

Watchlist

The Kingdom

51%

76%

The Kingdom

Watchlist

Green Zone

53%

57%

Green Zone

Watchlist

Body of Lies

55%

62%

Body of Lies

Watchlist

Death Sentence

20%

60%

Death Sentence

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Filmmaker Selects: Issa López’s 10 Movies for Women’s History Month

Rank Jeremy Renner’s 10 Best Movies

Now Streaming: Difficult People, The Hurt Locker, The Skeleton Twins, and More

View more photos

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: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
Screenwriter: Mark Boal
Distributor: Summit Media
Production Co: Kingsgate Films, Voltage Pictures, First Light Production
Rating: R (War Violence|Language)
Genre: War, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2009, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 24, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.7M
Runtime: 2h 7m

Most Popular at Home Now