The Hurt Locker

Filmmaker: Kathryn Bigelow

US / 2008 / 124 min / English / Certificate: 15

Opening Weekend Date: 28 August 2009

Cinemas screening the film: coming soon

Read the exclusive interview with Kathryn Bigelow on our blog.

If war is hell, why do so many men choose to fight?  In an age when armies consist not of draftees but of volunteers, and men willingly thrust themselves into military action, sometimes the rush of battle is a potent and alluring attraction, even an addiction.

Synopsis 

The Hurt Locker is 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 (Jeremy Renner), takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty), by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat.  James behaves 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.  

From visionary filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker is based on first-hand observation by journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal who was stationed on assignment with a special bomb unit.  Starring Jeremy Renner (Dahmer, The Assassination of Jesse James), Anthony Mackie (Half Nelson, We Are Marshall) and Brian Geraghty (We Are Marshall, Jarhead), the film couples grippingly realistic action with intimate human drama to portray soldier psychology in a high-risk profession where men volunteer to face deadly odds.

About the Director: Kathryn Bigelow

In the course of her career, Kathryn Bigelow has distinguished herself as one of Hollywood's most innovative filmmakers. In 1985 Bigelow directed and co-wrote the stirring cult classic, Near Dark, produced by Steven-Charles Jaffe.  This film was critically laude as a "poetic Horror film."  In 1991, Bigelow directed the action thriller Point Break, which starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.  In the summer of 2008 Bigelow completed her most recent and uncompromising film to date, THE HURT LOCKER.

"Ferociously Suspenseful"
The New York Times

"A near-perfect movie"
Time

"Kathryn Bigelow is an audaciously talented filmmaker determined to push the envelope for women directors."
Variety