Films & Events
The Hurt Locker
Winner Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow - SIFF 2009 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
Prefaced by a shocking opening sequence and the quote “war is a drug”, The Hurt Locker is possibly the most successful attempt yet to convey the hell of war. Amazingly, director Kathryn Bigelow trumps her male competitors with the sheer physicality in this stirring chronicle of guts under fire. The tight-knit, U.S. anti-bomb squad Bravo Company, led by the experienced Sanborn in one of the more hellish corners of war-torn Baghdad, is joined by James, a swaggering cowboy who has nevertheless successfully disabled 873 devices. But as the unit faces tougher challenges with each new bomb, James’ recklessness instills fear in the men that they will not survive the one remaining month until their tour of duty is complete, and they start to rebel against his bullish methods. Bigelow’s choice of a bomb squad as the focus for the action was inspired, as improvised explosive devices define the Iraq conflict in the way that helicopters defined the Vietnam War. Ratcheting up the tension from the very first scene, the film works effectively as pure thriller, pointedly avoiding political analysis. Timeless in its craft and insight, The Hurt Locker joins the pantheon of great American films about war. Director Kathryn Bigelow expected to attend May 28 screening
Sponsors:
American Airlines, POP
Cast & Crew
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Producer: Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal
Editor: Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
Screenwriter: Mark Boal
Cinematographer: Barry Ackroyd
Music: Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders
Principal Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Brian Geraghty
Filmography: K-19: The Widowmaker (2002 ); The Weight of Water (2000 ); Strange Days (1995 ); Point Break (1991 ); Blue Steel (1989 ); Near Dark (1987 ); The Loveless (1982)
World Sales: Voltage Pictures
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user reviews
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Boots on the ground in Iraq, May 17, 2009
By Jeff Cavanaugh
“A solid, suspenseful film about a team of IED defusers on the sharp end in Baghdad. When a rules-defying maverick shows up to replace a killed teammate, the tension becomes palpable as the team gets closer and closer to (what they hope is) the end of their tour in Iraq. Gritty and definitely not”
… full review
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One of the best war movies I've ever seen!, May 29, 2009
By Zheng Wang
“To call this "intense" or "gripping" is a huge understatement. From the beginning, "The Hurt Locker" drops us right into a different world, where lives hang on by a thread, and humanity only surfaces in brief glimpses. The movie does all its work with amazing honesty and constraint, without ever”
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Entertainment as serious as an IED, May 29, 2009
By Otto Von Nghiem
“ As if Iraq war combat is not intense enough try adding the stress of disarming bombs while potential hostiles are gathering around you. Just when you might think you've got this movie pegged as a Hollywood action flick or a psychological drama it takes a subtle turn that keeps your full attention”
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Powerful, tense, wonderful, May 31, 2009
By Ann Romeo
“Edge of your seat, never sure how a scene is going to end. Wonderful film-making, good acting and great camera work. If you get a chance, do see The Hurt Locker.”
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