The Hurt Locker (film)
"The Hurt Locker" is a critically acclaimed film that premiered in the 2000s, notable for being one of the first cinematic explorations of the psychological aspects faced by soldiers during the Iraq War. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, it centers on Staff Sgt. William James, a bomb disposal technician portrayed by Jeremy Renner, who returns to Iraq for a second tour after losing a colleague. The narrative highlights the intense and often perilous environment in Baghdad, depicting the complexities of warfare where danger can arise in seemingly mundane settings.
Written by journalist Mark Boal, who drew from his experiences embedded with an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, the film emphasizes the mental toll that such high-stakes operations impose on service members. Its title derives from the protective suit worn by bomb techs, symbolizing the physical and psychological confinement they experience. "The Hurt Locker" garnered significant recognition, winning six Academy Awards, including best picture and best director, making Bigelow the first woman to achieve this honor. Despite its modest budget of $11 million, it successfully delves into the emotional and psychological scars of war, prioritizing character development over political commentary. As a result, the film offers a unique lens into the impacts of military service and the nature of conflict.
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Subject Terms
The Hurt Locker (film)
Identification: A film that follows the work of a reckless bomb technician and his bomb squad as they locate and dismantle bombs in Baghdad during the Iraq War.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (b. 1951)
Date: Premiered in Hollywood on June 5, 2009, after appearing at several international film festivals in 2008.
The Hurt Locker was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the 2000s. It was the first film about the Iraq War to focus on the psychology of the individuals who risked their lives in the conflict, while also depicting the war as a psychological battlefield. It was the first Academy Award for a female director. The film also won best picture and best screenplay.
The screenplay for The Hurt Locker was written by reporter Mark Boal, who worked as an embedded journalist during the Iraq War with US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad. His fictional treatment of the dangers faced by the men as they sought out and dismantled bombs set by insurgent militias caught the attention of director Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow had established herself as a director of suspenseful television and action movies, such as K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) and The Weight of Water (2000). For The Hurt Locker, she cast Jeremy Renner in the leading role of Staff Sgt. William James, a cocky master technician, and selected Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty to play his war-weary subordinates.
The Hurt Locker takes place during a time of peak violence and bombings in Baghdad. After an EOD technician dies in a bomb explosion, James is requested to return to Iraq for another volunteer tour of duty as his replacement. The decision to return is easy, as James’s life in the civilian world is wrought with disappointment, and his state of mind remains heavily influenced by his war experiences. The job of a bomb technician requires tremendous discipline, precision, and a sense of heightened intuition. The heavily armored protective suit worn by technicians, known as “the hurt locker,” is where the film gets its name. Throughout the film, James eschews the rules and commonsense and does things his own way. The result is a tension-filled, action-packed movie.
The Hurt Locker was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six, including best actor, best original screenplay, best director, and best picture. Bigelow was the first woman to win best director, and the film was the lowest-grossing movie to ever to win best picture. It was made on a budget of $11 million, unlike most blockbuster movies, which commonly cost ten to twenty times that amount to produce.
Impact
The Hurt Locker successfully portrayed the realities of urban warfare experienced by members of the military during the Iraq War. Danger lurked in every neighborhood, where neither children nor the elderly could be completely trusted, and where a bomb could turn up in such innocuous places as piles of trash or animal carcasses. Rather than making a political commentary on the war, the film raises questions about the nature of war in general and depicts the psychological impact of armed conflict on military service members.
Bibliography
Barker, Martin. A ‘Toxic Genre’: The Iraq War Films. London: Pluto, 2011. Print.
Ebert, Roger. “The Hurt Locker” RogerEbert.com. Roger Ebert.com, 8 July 2009. Web. 28 Aug. 2012.
Taubin, Amy. “Hard Wired.” Film Comment 45.3 (2009): 30–35.