Rent The Hurt Locker (2008)

Good war film, uncomfortable in places - The Hurt Locker review by CP Customer

Good war film, felt like it went on a little long and got a bit bored. Some hair raising uncomforatble moments. Worth a watch but not an all time great.

Gritty realism - The Hurt Locker review by DB

I can see why this film won an Oscar. The film technique really takes you to the war zone and makes you feel like you are really there. It's in the tradition of Apocalypse Now et al. Off beat and yet very poigniant and gritty. If you like war movies with a difference without the all American Hero done good then you'll love this one.

Danger is a drug - The Hurt Locker review by Pete W

A gripping representation of life in an American EOD team in Iraq. This doesn't present the guys as purely heroes but shows the corrosive effect of the constant pressure in terms of their relationship with each other and with outsiders. Not afraid to duck the possibility that the whole adventure may be pointless.

Modern Warfare - The Hurt Locker review by CP Customer

The Hurt Locker is quite simply Full Metal Jacket for the modern generation and brings home the gruesome and harrowing reality of war today. It would be easy to dismiss this film as another entry in the growing Middle East chronicles from Hollywood. Yet Bigelow does not pull any punches in her gripping portrayal of a bomb squad operating in Iraq. The soldiers do not act like heroes but are people like you and I, doing a frightful job in deadly situations and somehow trying to deal with the emotional consequences. The use of various camera angles provides the film a lifelike documentary feel that isn’t afraid to show the ruthless of the insurgents but also the American military machine. Other directors would have put the emphasis on action, heroic endeavours and huge explosions for the popcorn masses yet the actual experience is far more memorable and unsettling. I never thought I would see the equal of Full Metal Jacket but here it is.

Great movie. - The Hurt Locker review by CP Customer

Watched this movie and just got so engrossed. Every moment is tense and it is amazing that people actually go and do this kind of thing for a living. I also noticed the film hardly had any music in it which you did not notice as the film sucks you in at every moment.

Powerful War Drama - The Hurt Locker review by GI

Kathryn Bigelow's powerful anti-war action film remains the best of the genre that is set in Iraq. The story of Will James an adrenaline junkie bomb disposal soldier who behaves increasingly recklessly endangering the lives of his team. Jeremy Renner gives a career best as James, aided by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as his increasingly worried team mates. The film has some great cameos including Guy Pearce, David Morse, Ralph Fiennes and Evangeline Lilly. It's tense story, utterly compelling and cleverly written so you never quite know if James is becoming totally unhinged or if he's still enough in control. There are some shocking scenes and the unpretentious clarity of the film is a refreshing change, there are no gung-ho heroics here and no flag waving either. This is about the sheer agony and terror of war and it's futile position in the modern world. It's a modern masterpiece and well worth repeated viewings.

A stunning & unbearably tense film looking at the addiction to war, with flawless performances - The Hurt Locker review by Timmy B

Katherine Bigelow has had an incredible & chequered career, filled with interesting films as well incredible ones. Even when they don't work as a whole, they are still filled with ambition, such as Strange Days, which was so far ahead of its time, today it is scary to watch it.

After the disappointment & serious financial failure of K19 The Widowmaker, there was a 6 year gap before she resurfaced with, in comparison with the massive budgetary opulence of K19, a tiny film made fairly quietly in the Middle East about bomb disposal experts. And, having seen both films, I am actually pleased in a way that there was the failure of K19, because it forced her to go back to the small film world, where often the best films are created.

The Hurt Locker is incredible. Even though it has come into some criticism because of the various elements of it that are absolutely not in any way based in fact, that has to be overlooked when you factor in that this is a piece of entertainment using drama to effectively convey it's message. It opens with a tight-knit team lead by Guy Pearce, defusing a roadside bomb in Iraq. Starting as it means to go on, it starts relaxed & jokey then flips within a second to fear, panic & horror. Pearce's character is killed & then a new Sergeant is brought in to lead the team.

Sergeant First Class James is a totally different kettle of fish: rude, abrasive, refusing to follow orders, communicate with his team or just be a team player in general. He is also addicted to the rush of war & conflict, actively seeking it out, even though he puts everyone else in danger. Thankfully, in the hands of Jeremy Renner, he is also horrifyingly gripping to watch, even though in battle you wouldn't want him anywhere near you, despite his extensive skill in bomb defusal.

The other team members are also extremely diverse & complex characters. Sanborn is the brash, tough-talking sergeant who after losing his close friend in the opening credits, then has to balance that grief with trying to manage someone as unpredictable as the bombs they are defusing. The aggression & disagreements between them are electric. Finally, Eldridge is the young Specialist, wracked with PTSD & totally on edge after the horror of the opening. He is probably the character who could most be seen as us the audience, giving us that portal into an unforgiving & everlasting nightmare you never wake up from.

As the 3 men brave danger together, they start to work together better, although the joy of the story is the total unpredictability of what could happen. There are also some welcome cameo's, particularly from Ralph Fiennes as a highly strung & very English bounty hunter.

But what makes this film work more than anything else is how well it is directed & scripted. Bigelow's mastery of film is shown here as second to none. Whether directing small moments where there is silence but also emotion screaming out of the screen, through to full on action scenes, it is perfect. The look, colour palette & sound especially are also brilliant. The casting is perfect & this was the film that in many ways launched Renner & Mackie's careers.

A film that grabs you, doesn't let go & then leaves you breathless at the end, wanting more. Just like the greatest films should do.