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The Hurt Locker (2008)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

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27 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Click here to read an interview with director Bigelow

Best known for 1991’s ‘Point Break’, Kathryn Bigelow is back in the frame with one of the better films about the US Army in Iraq – and one of the few not to send American audiences running for the hills. Written and co-produced by war reporter Mark Boal (who worked on Paul Haggis’s ‘In the Valley of Elah’), Bigelow’s film combines an expert management of tension with a sensitive and journalistic attention to detail: she has one eye on the truth and the other on the multiplex, and, if you can forgive her the odd sentimental or sensational flourish, this makes for an unusual mix of the thrilling and the sobering.

The film’s focus is a bomb disposal squad in Baghdad in 2004 and the 38-day rotation of Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner, pictured), an expert in defusing devices and a mouthy renegade whom you could view as either ‘hot shit’, as one superior calls him, or deserving of a sock in the jaw, as one of his peers prefers. Bigelow builds suspense and empathy by sticking closely to this small band through several episodes – including one superbly executed desert gunfight – and allowing us to experience events as they unfold for the soldiers.

The photography from ‘United 93’ DoP and regular Ken Loach collaborator Barry Ackroyd lends a frenetic immediacy to proceedings, while the use of Amman as Baghdad lends context and reality to a claustrophobic story. Bigelow is more interested in psychology than politics, but she shows just enough awareness of how the behaviour of soliders can fuel retaliation and even includes one direct suggestion that the US Army can and does choose to disregard the welfare of civilians. Most encouragingly, the film offers a fine distinction between heroism and heroics.

Click here to read an interview with director Bigelow

Author: Dave Calhoun

Time Out London Issue 2036, 26 August – 1 September

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User reviews of this film

Gosh, I wish I would have said...

Posted on Jan 24 2012 01:15 Gosh, I wish I would have had that inofrmation earlier!

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Robert Thornton said...

Posted on Nov 14 2010 21:15 Can’t understand why this film got an Oscar, must have been political. Other than seeing bomb disposal there was little else that was new, many of the scenes were in “Jarhead” like coming across the “enemy” in the desert, sniping with your buddy as telescopic look out, counting days to go. I would like to get a military critic to review all recent American war films as do all soldiers react in a totally uncontrolled manner like 6 soldiers firing aimlessly together at a target, disobedience to orders, shouting in English at an Arab who can’t speak English. What was the scene about when the hero bomb disposer decided to seek out the person who detonated the truck as he guessed it wasn’t a suicide bomber who did it. Other than getting his buddy killed what did he expect to find? Why did “Beckham” have a bomb inside him, was this to be detonated by someone.
I could go on as I would have expected this Oscar winning to be much more credible.

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M*****-D sqd said...

Posted on Aug 09 2010 23:35 i love this movie but the scene where the sas are rescued by a bomb desposal unit is laughible, and thy were infact SAS in iraq there was an operation codenamed task force black which consisted of delta force and ''A'' squadron SAS working together where they were issued a deck of cards that consisted of the main terrorist players that they were tasked to capture. they were not contractors hense the part they call in for air support, contractors dont have access to air support! and i would definetly not be sitting back whilst an IED expert was taking out snipers with my barret .50 cal.......but all in all best war film iv seen in a while......thats not in real life that is :)

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Steve said...

Posted on Aug 04 2010 17:42 Just watched this film on recommendation. Having now read reviews in the major broadsheets, I wonder if we were watching the same film. Dull, tediously slow, Amaerican drum-banging. Don't understand why the British element was drawn in, unless to highlight American bravado. Silly in the extreme and a waste of £5 for the DVD.

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blib said...

Posted on May 04 2010 07:34 usman, took me longer to read your review than watch the film. It's "improvised" not "intra" by the way.

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Anon said...

Posted on Mar 25 2010 22:00 Perhaps they were called contractors, but it was pretty obvious they were ex-SAS, so the criticisms of them sitting around while some US bomb disposal troops use their gun is ridiculous.

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Stephanie said...

Posted on Mar 16 2010 10:00 Men really do get very over-excited about these things... Okay, I've just had a look on the film's credits and Ralph Fiennes is listed as 'Contractor Team Leader'.

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tewkewl said...

Posted on Mar 13 2010 15:41 to those of you who are saying that they were not SAS. you guys don't know jack. The SAS, Delta, DevGru, were charged with seeking out and capturing terrorist big shots. remember the deck of most wanted cards? Contractors were not tasked to get them. The big giveaway is the fact that they call in for air support. Contractors don't call in for military air support. Soldiers can get bonuses for capturing hotshots too. This movie was made by someone who is used to being a hollywood liberal... for an audience with know knowledge of the military. An SAS team being pinned down by Hajis from a KNOWN sniper position? I'm sorry this is not realistic. Even more so, they get saved by a sniping EOD tech? give me a break. Sure the main Character was a ranger, so it's believable he went to sniper school, but Sanborne sniping? highly unrealistic. but the libs watching this movie have no idea. they just think "pow pow.. guns shooting... army men... all the same". And 3 EOD guys running around by themselves? Unsupported? I'm sorry, the EOD guys don't come in until the area is secured and cordoned off. And the main tech going around without procedures or not using the BOT when they have it? totally absurd. I wanted to like this movie. But that SAS scene just pushed it over the top. This is liberal hollywood fiction, not a war movie. For accurate depictions, watch blackhawk down (somalia), saving private ryan (ww2), taegukki: the brotherhood of war (korean war), hamburger hill (vietham). this movie is a disgrace.

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Droogle said...

Posted on Mar 09 2010 13:16 An OK movie, appealing more to US sentimentality/guilt about its armed forces. Some realistic parts, but frankly the SAS scene was downright laughable. So we are to believe a highly armed SAS patrol comes under fire from some insurgents and then they sit around meekly whilst being rescued by a US bomb disposal specialist. It was more like a Blackadder sketch. Note to Katheryn Bigelow - there are 2 entries on Wikipedia for SAS - you were looking at Scandinavian Airlines when you did your research.

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H said...

Posted on Mar 08 2010 17:02 I absolutely agree with NJW. I was expecting big things from The Hurt Locker but, having seen Generation Kill, it pales miserably in comparison. OK, we only spend a couple of hours with the guys in this film compared to seven or so with the tv series lot, but Gen.Kill is the first time I've ever understood why anyone would want to join the Marines. The authenticity of the show (writing, direction, dilemmas, language, camaraderie, frustration, politics) is insightful, innovative and outstandingly executed. Apart from one or two exceptional moments in The Hurt Locker (the desert shoot-out sniper part in particular), I really can't say the same for it. Watch Generation Kill!!

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johan said...

Posted on Mar 07 2010 22:59 Great, suspenseful film. They're not taking on the 'fight' for the SAS - they're bounty hunters, and they US guys are just making sure they get out alive. Thought it was interesting and harrowing.

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Stephanie said...

Posted on Mar 06 2010 13:46 Watched it last night and found it totally absorbing and very tense. A point of order though... The scene with the 'SAS'. They were in fact not the SAS but mercenaries/contractors. The giveaway is the line were Ralph Fiennes talks about the bounty he's going to get for the two guys they've captured! But I agree it was still a little irritating to see them rescued by the Americans.

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NJW said...

Posted on Mar 02 2010 13:17 I really didn't think this film was very reaslistic - backed up my my other half who was a bomb disposal engineer - most of the 'bomb action' seemed unrealistic to him - and i thought the lead character was just far to reckless - would he really be allowed to get away with that behavour?? We much prefer Generation Kill as a true reflection of life as a soldier in Iraq, the subtleties, lack of direction, language - all seem spot on to the old man!

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trickydicky said...

Posted on Feb 02 2010 18:44 Good to see its Oscar nominations have warranted this excellent film being shown again in the West End. Highly, highly recommended. Worth seeing on the big screen. I saw it twice back in autumn 2009.

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JD said...

Posted on Feb 01 2010 14:37 This is the only film about war I have seen where I FINALLY understand why people join the army. Brilliant.

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