The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is billed as one of the greatest war movies ever. The title refers to a box of bomb parts, fuses and detonators which Sgt William James, the main character at the centre of the story, keeps under his bed.

It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as members of the EOD unit during the second Iraq war and follows their tour of duty as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops among them.

It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six including Best Picture and Best Director for Bigelow, the first woman to win this award. The film has also won six BAFTA Awards.

Despite the bundle of awards the film has received mixed reviews from viewers. Many are claiming it is unrealistic and has no “message” to deliver. Often with films viewers want to reach a conclusion, whether it is one of the main characters overcoming some obstacle whether physical or psychological, or a narrator may deliver the moral of the story at the end, however, for many people this was more like a documentary. This feeling was enhanced by the fact that it was filmed using handheld cameras which gives the illusion of being part of the film, rather than just watching.