Director(s): Kathryn Bigelow

Screenwriter(s): Mark Boal

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Chrisian Camargo, Christopher Sayegh, Nabil Koni, Sam Spruell, Sam Redford, Suhail Aldabbach, Evangeline Lilly

Plot: A story about two soldiers in Iraq who must suffer the physical and psychological toll that comes with deactivating bombs and their newly assigned Sergeant whose volatile actions make them question whether or not they’ll complete their assignment alive.

Mini Review: Director Kathryn Bigelow and Screenwriter Mark Boal have tackled an issue not easily (or commonly) dealt with amongst our soldiers in Iraq. ‘The Hurt Locker’ is a unique storyline and we’re drawn into its complexities with Renner, Mackie, and Geraghty at its forefront giving us performances that properly display the emotional and mental demand that not only working under these conditions produce, but also under authority that is as unpredictable as the very weapons they have to neutralize. ‘The Hurt Locker’ is an original must-see film without any political agendas and carries a story that must be told.  Jim’s Rating: 8.8/10

***MAYDAY! MAYDAY! DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT WITHOUT WATCHING ‘THE HURT LOCKER’! I REPEAT…DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT WITHOUT WATCHING ‘THE HURT LOCKER’!***

Random Trivia: Part of the shooting took place during the Muslim month of Ramadan, which is observed by fasting from sunrise to sundown. Non-Muslim crew members hid out and ate in tents and specialty hotels with windows covered by carpets (out of respect, and per the Jordanian law). Smoking, eating or drinking in public during daylight hours is banned in many Middle Eastern countries during Ramadan, including Jordan, and is punishable with jail time.

An Interview with the boys of ‘The Hurt Locker’

Oscar-Winning Factors: Acting, Screenplay

Screenplay:

It’s just another day at the office with the boys until we (the audience) get our incident that kick-starts us off into this dark journey.

James (Jeremy Renner) bonds a little with Beckham (Christopher Sayegh) over soccer.

James helps both Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) and Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) deal with snipers. It’s in this scene that we start to see a shift in attitudes towards James from the two soldiers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plkLkXStpuc

The soldiers celebrate after a job well done with a little rough housing. Tensions run high after Sanborne and James go a bit too far.

Acting:

Eldridge goes into shock after a bomb goes off and kills Cambridge (Christian Camargo).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlFbZvmdanY

James races against time on the watch attached to a bomb to remove a bomb from a civilian’s torso.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=660SfMySS24

Nominations & Wins:

• Achievement in Directing (W) – Kathryn Bigelow
• Original Screenplay (W) – Mark Boal
• Achievement in Film Editing (W) – Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
• Achievement in Sound Mixing (W) – Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
• Achievement in Sound Editing (W) – Paul N.J. Ottosson
• Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (N) – Jeremy Renner
• Achievement in Cinematography (N) – Barry Ackroyd
• Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score (N) – Marco Beltrami, Buck Sanders

Source(s): IMDb, The Oscars,