The Hurt Locker

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The Hurt Locker

R

Released Jul 31, 2009

2h 7m

War

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Action

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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.

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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

Times (UK)

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

Sep 30, 2022

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

Evocative and unsettling, The Hurt Locker remains an outstanding and cautionary war drama.

Jun 14, 2023

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Nick R

Incredible acting and excellent direction make 'The Hurt Locker' an absolute must-watch war film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/30/24

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Kauã M

An experience that takes light on a heavy topic, and yet leaves you on the edge of your seat agonizing and reflecting every second.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

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Jason K. C

It’s a movie that one can watch. I finished it. I probably will never watch it again or think about it again after posting this review.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Nicholas R

As a veteran of Iraq, I despise this film. What a load of rubbish.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/24

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Garrett K

It showed the lives of these people in a human way. The different qualities of people who are in this type of work, the different ways each main character copes with it. It isn't something which focuses on military politics or morals but it's not something that needs to or necessarily should. For what it is about it does a great job at showing it and giving you their experiences. It's not a movie you watch for the cinematics or the detail and depth of a grand storyline. It's something which shows things as what they can be to people. Don't get me wrong though, there is some great cinematic and storyboarding involved, just nothing like you'd expect from big box office movies. If you like suspense and grit, this is your movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/24

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Gary M

As a veteran, there were some glaring technical errors. Whoever made this has no military experience. A gun won't jam if there is blood on the cartridges. You can't drag 155 shells out of the sand by just pulling on a couple of stranded copper wires. They weigh about 100 lbs each. The producer must have stumbled across an old GI Joe comic book.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

Full Review

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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: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
Screenwriter: Mark Boal
Distributor: Summit Media
Production Co: Voltage Pictures, Kingsgate Films, 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

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