What Do The Critics Say?

"A super-sharp, nerve-shredding thriller. The film gains from its lead performers not being A-list stars. Renner is a major find, often recalling the young Russell Crowe in his brawny swagger and isolated intensity." Sukhdev Sandhu DAILY TELEGRAPH "I can't think of a recent film, not even Oliver Stone's Platoon, that has conveyed so vividly what it is to be a soldier today on a front line." Philip French UK OBSERVER "The Hurt Locker is an action-packed thriller of the first order, the most entertaining movie to be made to date about the Iraq war." Sonny Bunch WASHINGTON TIMES "The Hurt Locker is not simply a war movie. It is war poetry." Kevin Maher UK TIMES "One of the best movies of the year, with a star-making performance from Jeremy Renner." Richard Roeper ROEPER AT THE MOVIES "Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal have collaborated on one of the most compelling motion pictures in years, certainly among the best war films ever put on film." David Kaplan KAPLAN VS KAPLAN "An intense, harrowing and unforgettable look at everyday life in a US bomb disposal unit in Iraq, it is impossible not to be affected by Kathryn Bigelow's relentlessly powerful film." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "This isn't a film that primarily questions the point of the war. It is a film that offers an intense personal perspective on the reality of an adrenaline-rush existence lived in the full knowledge that every day could be your last." Allan Hunter UK EXPRESS

"Like every war before it, the U.S. invasion of Iraq has generated its share of movies. The Hurt Locker is the first of them that can properly be called a masterpiece. Delivers an exceptionally detailed, first-hand account of the day to day existence of U.S. soldiers, the way Platoon did for Vietnam or Saving Private Ryan did for World War II." Rene Rodriguez MIAMI HERALD "One of the greatest American films of the decade, certainly the best American movie since There Will Be Blood, shocking, overwhelming and unforgettable." Allan Jones UNCUT MAGAZINE UK "The Hurt Locker is an extraordinarily uncomfortable movie to watch, not because it is poorly made, but because it places its audience directly in the crosshairs of hell." Brandon Fibbs BRANDON FIBBS.COM "This is not just a character study. This film has battle scenes of such immediacy, intensity and suspense it puts the battle scenes in most other war movies to shame." Robert Roten LARAMIE MOVIE SCOPE "With such an able cast and crew, director Kathryn Bigelow had everything she needed to come up with a defining war movie for the 21st century." S James Wegg JWR "The fact that Bigelow could make such a realistic war movie without the actual combat experience that directors like William Wellman had makes this even more remarkable." Tony Medley TOLUCAN TIMES "I found it difficult at times to remember that these men are actors. The tension is pulled to just the right tautness to be sustained over time without having to defuse it with a narrative break. And the acting is great." Karina Montgomery CINERINA

Who's Playing Who?

Jeremy Renner Anthony Mackie Brian Geraghty Guy Pearce Ralph Fiennes David Morse Evangeline Lilly Christian Camargo Suhail Al-Dabbach Christopher Sayegh Nabil Koni Nibras Quassem Sam Spruell Sam Redford Feisal Sadoun Barrie Rice

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SSG William James Sgt JT Sanborn Spc Owen Eldridge SSG Matt Thompson Contractor Team Leader Colonel Reed Connie James Lt Col John Cambridge Black Suit Man Beckham Professor Nabil Nabil's Wife Contractor Charlie Contractor Jimmy Contractor Feisal Contractor Chris

The Inside Story "Fear has a bad reputation, but I think that’s ill-deserved. Fear is clarifying. It forces you to put important things first and discount the trivial. When Mark Boal, the writer, came back from a reporting trip to Iraq, he told me stories about men in the Army who disarm bombs in the heat of combat obviously, an elite job with a high mortality rate. When he mentioned that they are extremely vulnerable and use little more than a pair of pliers to disarm a bomb that can kill for 300 meters, I was shocked. When I learned that these men volunteer for this dangerous work, and often grow so fond of it that they can imagine doing nothing else, I knew I had found my next film." Director Kathryn Bigelow. "The Hurt Locker" is a riveting, suspenseful portrait of the courage under fire of the military’s most unrecognized heroes: the technicians of the bomb squad, who volunteer to challenge the odds and save lives in one of the world’s most dangerous places. Three members of the Army’s elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and each other as they seek out and disarm a wave of roadside bombs (Improvised Explosive Devices) on the streets of Baghdad; in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear: protect and save; but it’s anything but easy, for the margin of error on a war-zone bomb is zero. A thrilling and heart-thumping look at the effects of combat and danger on the human psyche, The Hurt Lockeris based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. Visionary director (and producer) Kathryn Bigelow, brings together groundbreaking realistic action and intimate human drama in a gripping film starring Jeremy Renner ("Dahmer" & "The Assassination of Jesse James"), Anthony Mackie ("Half Nelson" & "We Are Marshall") and Brian Geraghty ("We Are Marshall" & "Jarhead"), with cameo appearances by Ralph Fiennes ("The Reader"), David Morse ("Disturbia"), Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") and Guy Pearce ("Memento" & "The Proposition"). The Hurt Locker is directed by Kathryn Bigelow ("Near Dark" & "Strange Days"). It is reported that James Cameron ("Titanic" & "Avatar") convinced his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow to direct this film. Written for the screen by Mark Boal "In the Valley of Elah" story. VARIETY decribes Kathryn Bigelow as "an audaciously talented filmmaker determined to push the envelope for women directors." In the course of her career, 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." As always, Bigelow’s visual style garnered positive reactions from the press who described it as "dreamy, passionate and terrifying, a hallucinatory vision of the American nightworld that becomes both seductive and devastating." Following the release of this film, the Museum of Modern Art honored Bigelow with a career retrospective. In 1991, Bigelow directed the action thriller "Point Break", which starred Keanu Reeves and the late Patrick Swayze. A Largo Entertainment Pictures presentation, executive produced by James Cameron, "Point Break" explored the dangerous extremes of a psychological struggle between two young men. Regarding Bigelow’s work on the film The Chicago Tribune commended her astonishing filmmaking sensibilities and described her as a, "uniquely talented, uniquely powerful filmmaker. Bigelow has tapped in to something primal and strong. She is a sensualist in the most sensual of mediums." When "Strange Days" was released in 1995, Roger Ebert called it a "technical tour de force." In this film, Bigelow explored the unsettling prospects of computer-generated virtual reality and the impending new millennium. "Strange Days" received rave reviews and was highly praised for its energy and unique, intense visuals. Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, stated that "the furiously talented" Bigelow was "Operating at full throttle, using material ablaze with eerie promise, she turns Strange Days into a troubling but undeniably breathless joyride." Starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewis, "Strange Days" was co-written by James Cameron and released by Twentieth Century Fox. When "K-19: The Widowmaker" was released, the New York Times declared Bigelow "one of the most gifted, directors working in movies today." Roger Ebert praised Bigelow as "an expert technician who never steps wrong" CNN described 'K-19' as "a story about bravery, patriotism and honor, no matter what flag you fly." Bigelow went where no other filmmaker has gone before, making Soviet soldiers from the Cold War era the heroes of a major American production. MARK BOAL is a journalist, screenwriter, and producer. He was born and raised in New York City. In 2003, he wrote "Death and Dishonor", the true story of a military veteran who goes searching for his missing son, which later became the basis for Paul Haggis’s (follow up to "Crash") film, "In the Valley of Elah" (2007). Boal colloborated with Paul Haggis on the script and shares a co-story credit on the film, deemed "a deeply reflective, highly powerful work," by the Hollywood Reporter. In 2004, Boal embarked on an embed with an elite bomb squad unit operating in Baghdad, during which he lived with the troops and accompanied them on daily missions to disarm IEDs. These first-hand observation became the inspiration for his script, "The Hurt Locker". JEREMY RENNER plays Staff Sergeant William James. In 2007, he starred in "28 Weeks Later," the highly anticipated sequel to "28 Days Later", for director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and opposite Rose Byrne and Robert Carlyle. He played the heroic 'Doyle' who goes against military orders to save a group of survivors. He also starred in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", directed by Andrew Dominik, starring alongside Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck playing a key member of James’ gang: Wood Hide. In "North Country", he played Bobby Sharp, starring opposite Oscar winners Charlize Theron ("Monster") and Frances McDormand ("Fargo"). In 2003, he was seen in the summer hit "S.W.A.T." opposite Colin Farrell and Samuel L Jackson. However the role that put Renner on the map and earned the actor an Independent Spirit Award nomination was his role as Jeffrey Dahmer in the indie film entitled "Dahmer". ANTHONY MACKIE who plays Sergeant JT Sanborn was born in New Orleans in 1979 and is a graduate of the Juilliard School. The actor honed his skills at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts before completing his education at Juilliard. BRIAN GERAGHTY WHO PLAYS Specialist Owen Eldridge was last seen starring opposite Shia LeBeouf in the Emilio Estevez-directed film "Bobby". Geraghty graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City before re-locating to Los Angeles. His stage credits include roles in productions of "Berlin", "Midnight Moonlight", "Snipers" and "Romeo and Juliet". An ardent surfer, he is an ongoing, active supporter of the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization working to preserve the worlds: oceans, waves and beaches. Synopsis

When Staff Sergeant William James takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for military protocol and basic safety measures. And yet, in the fog of war, appearances are never reliable for long. Is James really a swaggering cowboy who lives for peak experiences and the moments when the margin of error is zero or is he a consummate professional who has honed his esoteric craft to high-wire precision? As the fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men struggle to understand and contain their new leader long enough for them to make it home. The team has only thirty eight days rotation left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter. As the days tick by and as James blurs the line between bravery and bravado, it seems only a matter of time before disaster will strike one or all of them.

The Verdict "Nominated for 9 Academy Awards: Best Picture; Lead Actor; Director; Cinematography; Director; Editing; Original Score; Sound and Sound Editing; "The Hurt Locker" has already picked up 53 Awards including: Directors Guild of America; National Board of Review Male Breakthrough Performance (Jeremy Renner); Motion Picture Producer of the Year; Five Venice Film Festival Awards including the Gucci Prize; Four Satellite Awards and more. "The Hurt Locker" is cinema at its very best. It's an exemplary production. One which is so well done, you'll feel as though a hand has reached out, ripped you from the safety of your cinema seat and tossed you onto the dusty streets of Baghdad right alongside the EOD squad. One outstanding point is that "The Hurt Locker" doesn't make a statement about the right or wrong of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Instead it foccusses on those who are at the coalface in the fight to re-gain the city and keep it safe for those who want to live a normal life. It's an unenviable task fraught with danger and made all the harder when you don't know who your real enemy is. Everything: from the direction, settings, the cast, Marco Beltrami's music, the SFX, the crisp editing and the cinematography (two hundred hours of footage was shot on hand-held super 16mm cameras capable of an eye-popping 100:1 shooting ratio) is to be commended. "The Hurt Locker" will run your senses ragged. A glorious experience. 5 STARS." The Production Team.

Director Written by Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editors Casting Production Designer Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Designers

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Kathryn Bigelow Mark Boal Kathryn Bigelow/Mark Boal Nicolas Chartier/Greg Shapiro Marco Beltrami Barry Ackroyd Chris Innis & Bob Murawski Mark Bennett Karl Júlíusson David Bryan Amin Charif El Masri George L Little Vicky Mulholland

Run Time 131 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Roadshow Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.