Film Description
The Hurt Locker
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Geraghty and Evangeline Lilly
Drama/Action/Thriller, 131 minutes, 14 A for war violence and language, not recommended for young or sensitive viewers
(USA)
"A stunningly realistic, thrillingly intense depiction of extraordinary men carrying out one of the toughest jobs imaginable, graced with a knockout performance by relative unknown Renner."
– Boyd Hilton, Heat Magazine "Kathryn Bigelow's explosive, edge-of-the-seat thriller is one of the best war movies ever made. After years in the wilderness, the director's stunning return to form is set, fittingly enough, in the arid landscape of a scorched Iraq."
– Rob Daniel, Sky Movies
Synopsis: 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 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. Visionary director Kathryn Bigelow brings together groundbreaking realistic action and intimate human drama, the film is based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq. In the summer of 2004, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) of Bravo Company are at the volatile center of the war, part of a small counterforce specifically trained to handle the homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), that account for more than half of American hostile deaths and have killed thousands of Iraqis. With a visual and emotional intensity that makes audiences feel like they have been transported to Iraq¹s dizzying, 24-hour turmoil, The Hurt Locker is both a tense portrayal of real-life sacrifice and heroism, and a probing look at the soul-numbing rigors and potent allure of the modern battlefield.
Official website: www.thehurtlocker-movie.com
Screening:
Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:30 PM, Bayfield 7 Cinemas
Awards:
- NOMINATED, BEST MALE LEAD & BEST SUPPORTING MALE, INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS, 2009
- WINNER, BEST SCREENPLAY, NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL, 2009
- WINNER, BEST DIRECTOR, SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, 2009
- WINNER, HUMAN RIGHTS FILM NETWORK AWARD (BIGELOW), VENICE FILM FESTIVAL, 2008
Interested in becoming a volunteer?