The Hurt Locker (2008)
Drama, Thriller, War |
The Hurt Locker is a American war thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. The film follows an Iraq War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who are targeted by insurgents, and shows their psychological reactions to the stress of combat, which is intolerable to some and addictive to others. Boal drew on his experience during embedded access to write the screenplay.
The Hurt Locker premiered at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before it was released in the United States on June 26, 2009, by Summit Entertainment. The film earned near universal acclaim from critics, who praised Bigelow’s directing, Renner’s performance, writing, and action sequences.
In 2004, Sergeant First Class William James arrives as the new team leader of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in the Iraq War. He replaces Staff Sergeant Matthew Thompson, who was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Baghdad. His team includes Sergeant J. T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge.
James is often approached by an Iraqi youth nicknamed “Beckham”, attempting to sell DVDs. James challenges him to a game of football and takes a liking to him.
Sanborn and Eldridge consider James’ maverick disposal methods and attitude reckless, raising tensions. When they are assigned to destroy explosives, James returns to the detonation site to pick up his gloves. Sanborn openly contemplates killing him by “accidentally” triggering the explosives, making Eldridge uncomfortable. Nothing is done, and tensions continue to increase.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer: Mark Boal
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly
►Cast:
| 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 |
| David Morse | … | Colonel Reed |
| Evangeline Lilly | … | Connie James |
| Christian Camargo | … | Colonel John Cambridge |
| Suhail Dabbach | … | Black Suit Man (as Suhail Al-Dabbach) |
| Christopher Sayegh | … | Beckham |
| Nabil Koni | … | Professor Nabil |
| Sam Spruell | … | Contractor Charlie |
| Sam Redford | … | Contractor Jimmy |
| Feisal Sadoun | … | Contractor Feisal |
| Barrie Rice | … | Contractor Chris |
| Imad Dadudi | … | Iraqi Police Captain at UN (as Imad Daoudi) |
| Erin Gann | … | Mortuary Affairs Officer |
| Justin Campbell | … | Sergeant Carter |
| Malcolm Barrett | … | Sergeant Foster |
| Kristoffer Ryan Winters | … | Soldier at Intersection (as Kristoffer Winter) |
| J.J. Kandel | … | Guard at Camp Liberty Market |
| Ryan Tramont | … | Guard at Liberty Gate |
| Hani Naimi | … | Iraqi Translator (as Michael Desante) |
| Hasan Darwish | … | DVD Merchant |
| Wasfi Amour | … | Insurgent in the Stairwell |
| Nibras Qassem | … | Nabil’s Wife |
| Ben Thomas | … | US Army Medic |
| Nader Tarawneh | … | Insurgent Sniper |
| Anas Wellman | … | Soldier at UN (as Anas ‘Tipsy’ Wellman) |
| Omar Mario | … | Butcher |
| Fleming Campbell | … | Soldier at Airfield |
| Mark Behar | … | D.O.D Military Middle Eastern Language Translator |
| Tommy Dallace | … | U.S. Sniper |
| Jeffrey Feingold | … | Soldier |
| Jerry Fortuna | … | Soldier |
| David Gueriera | … | First Sergeant |
| Joseph Martinus | … | Soldier |
| Kate Mines | … | Soldier |
| Yousef Shweihat | … | Insurgent Sniper |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia