The Hurt Locker (2009)
91%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Won 6 Oscars
125 wins & 130 nominations total
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.
The Hurt Locker is like a rollercoaster ride, but instead of loops and drops, it’s filled with heart-pumping suspense and intense action. It’s not your typical war movie, as it doesn’t try to push any political agenda, but instead focuses on the soldiers and their experiences. Jeremy Renner delivers a standout performance that will leave you on the edge of your seat. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good adrenaline rush.
Production Company(ies)
Wildwood Enterprises
Distributor
Summit Media
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Amman, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for war violence and language
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 7m
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Language(s):English, Arabic
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2009 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 12, 2010
Genre(s)
War/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, written by Mark Boal, war, drama, action, box office, budget, reviewed by Ed Koch, Candice Frederick, Jeannette Catsoulis, Philippa Hawker, David Stratton, Paul Byrnes, Matt Brunson, David Walsh, Mike Massie, Jason Best, Richard Propes, MPAA rating R, bomb-disposal unit, Baghdad, Iraq War, explosive situations, Staff Sgt William James, Sgt J.T Sanborn, Specialist Owen Eldridge, Colonel Reed, Contractor Team Leader, produced by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
Worldwide gross: $49,259,766
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $68,082,451
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,203
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 7,424,477
US/Canada gross: $17,017,811
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $23,520,499
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,356
US/Canada opening weekend: $145,352
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $200,893
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,666
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $15,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $20,731,661
Production budget ranking: 1,346
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,163,999
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $36,186,791
ROI to date (est.): 113%
ROI ranking: 887
Anthony Mackie – Sergeant JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty – Specialist Owen Eldridge
Guy Pearce – Sergeant Matt Thompson
Ralph Fiennes – Contractor Team Leader
David Morse – Colonel Reed
Director(s)
Kathryn Bigelow
Writer(s)
Mark Boal
Producer(s)
Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 6 Oscars
125 wins & 130 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Directing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Editing Winners, Oscar Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Winners, Oscar Best Picture Winners, Oscar Best Writing Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (288) | Top Critics (77) | Fresh (278) | Rotten (10)
The Hurt Locker is without a doubt one of the best war pictures I have ever seen, and I have seen most of them.
January 17, 2018
Ed Koch
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
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.
September 12, 2017 | Rating: B+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
More than anything, The Hurt Locker is a high-wire study of men at work, its lack of overt politics replaced by a revelatory central performance.
February 16, 2016
Jeannette Catsoulis
Reverse Shot
TOP CRITIC
There is much that is fiercely modest about its ambitions. And, for a war film, it is often disconcertingly quiet.
February 25, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Philippa Hawker
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
An important, intense, nail-biting experience — really quite unforgettable.
February 25, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
It’s a film about why some soldiers love war, a theme that’s rare in war films made by men.
February 25, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
Never does Bigelow falter in her direction, which, by adroitly alternating between muscular and sensitive, reapplies a recognizable face to a conflict that has largely slipped from the American public conscious with all the wispiness of a bad dream.
February 19, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
The Hurt Locker, despite claims about its “apolitical” or “non-partisan” character, proves in its own unsavory fashion to be a pro-war and pro-imperialist film.
February 13, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
Powerful, alluring, and eye-opening entertainment.
November 28, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Switching effortlessly between passages of nerve-shredding suspense and ones of adrenalin-charged excitement, The Hurt Locker blows away the competition.
November 24, 2020
Jason Best
Movie Talk
A muscular film that literally embeds the audience inside the hell that is war.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie exchange drunken punches to the gut as we wonder what civilian life could offer that might possibly compete with this sweaty, boozy, dirty love.
June 18, 2020
David Lamble
Bay Area Reporter…
Plot
An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat, behaving as if he’s indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce have small but memorable roles in The Hurt Locker.
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