War is a drug.
In 2009, the year of James Cameron's Avatar, a little film about an unpopular subject, quickly rose up the ranks of critical acclaim.
The Hurt Locker. A movie about an elite bomb squad unit in Iraq, became the lowest grossing movie to ever win Best Picture at the 2010 Oscar's.
But it truly is one of the best pictures I have ever seen.
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty - The Hurt Locker is a riveting film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Jeremy Renner stars as Sergeant First Class William James, a seemingly indestructible bomb disposal expert, who is brought into a new unit after they are forced to replace their former leader. James takes his subordinates, Sanborn (played by Anthony Mackie) and Eldridge (played by Brian Geraghty) on a wild ride of urban combat.
I've never been to war, but I have seen quite a few films about the subject. Where most are full of macho bravado and special effects, The Hurt Locker brings a sense of realism to the day in and day out danger and never ending stress of war time combat. The cinematography is superb and you will not want to miss the opening scene.
The language is terrible and the violence realistic. But if you can handle that, the movie's last 20 minutes will make you think. It's final image will make an impression.
Earning Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director Oscar, the first ever for a woman and Oscars for Best Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Original Screenplay - this is a film you must see.
Rated R for war violence and language.
Runtime: 131 min.
Trivia-
Kathryn Bigelow is James Cameron's ex-wife.
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award, the BAFTA (British equivalent of the Oscars), and the DGA (Director's Guild Award) for Best Director for her work on this film. This is also the first film to win Best Picture that was directed by a woman.
Filmed on location in Jordan.
The expression "the hurt locker" is a preexisting slang term for a situation involving trouble or pain, which can be traced back to the Vietnam War. According to the movie's website, it is soldier vernacular in Iraq to speak of explosions as sending you to "the hurt locker".
First dramatic feature film about the Iraq War to win an Academy Award. First war movie about a modern war to win the Best Picture Academy Award where the war featured is not World War I, World War II nor the Vietnam War. First war movie to win the Best Picture Academy Award since The English Patient (1996). First war movie to win a Best Director Academy Award since Roman Polanski's, The Pianist (2002).
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