Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Hurt Locker

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 2h 11m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
445K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,643
940
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Hurt Locker (2008)
In Baghdad, members of a bomb-disposal team near the end of their rotation deadline are pulled into a deadly game of urban combat by a new sergeant (Renner).
Play trailer2:32
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Thriller
  • War

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

IMDb RATING
7.5/10
445K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,643
940
  • Director
    • Kathryn Bigelow
  • Writer
    • Mark Boal
  • Stars
    • Jeremy Renner
    • Anthony Mackie
    • Brian Geraghty
Top credits
  • Director
    • Kathryn Bigelow
  • Writer
    • Mark Boal
  • Stars
    • Jeremy Renner
    • Anthony Mackie
    • Brian Geraghty
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1KUser reviews
    • 407Critic reviews
    • 95Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 6 Oscars
      • 125 wins & 130 nominations total

    Videos3

    The Hurt Locker
    Trailer 2:32
    The Hurt Locker
    The Hurt Locker
    Clip 0:42
    The Hurt Locker
    The Hurt Locker -- "Die Comfortably"
    Clip 0:43
    The Hurt Locker -- "Die Comfortably"

    Photos214

    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Jeremy Renner and Evangeline Lilly in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Anthony Mackie in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Brian Geraghty in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Kathryn Bigelow and Christopher Sayegh in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Kathryn Bigelow and Barry Ackroyd in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Guy Pearce and Brian Geraghty in The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Guy Pearce in The Hurt Locker (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jeremy Renner
    Jeremy Renner
    • Staff Sergeant William Jamesas Staff Sergeant William James
    Anthony Mackie
    Anthony Mackie
    • Sergeant JT Sanbornas Sergeant JT Sanborn
    Brian Geraghty
    Brian Geraghty
    • Specialist Owen Eldridgeas Specialist Owen Eldridge
    Guy Pearce
    Guy Pearce
    • Sergeant Matt Thompsonas Sergeant Matt Thompson
    Ralph Fiennes
    Ralph Fiennes
    • Contractor Team Leaderas Contractor Team Leader
    David Morse
    David Morse
    • Colonel Reedas Colonel Reed
    Evangeline Lilly
    Evangeline Lilly
    • Connie Jamesas Connie James
    Christian Camargo
    Christian Camargo
    • Colonel John Cambridgeas Colonel John Cambridge
    Suhail Dabbach
    Suhail Dabbach
    • Black Suit Manas Black Suit Man
    • (as Suhail Al-Dabbach)
    Christopher Sayegh
    • Beckhamas Beckham
    Nabil Koni
    • Professor Nabilas Professor Nabil
    Sam Spruell
    Sam Spruell
    • Contractor Charlieas Contractor Charlie
    Sam Redford
    Sam Redford
    • Contractor Jimmyas Contractor Jimmy
    Feisal Sadoun
    • Contractor Feisalas Contractor Feisal
    Barrie Rice
    • Contractor Chrisas Contractor Chris
    Imad Dadudi
    • Iraqi Police Captain at UNas Iraqi Police Captain at UN
    • (as Imad Daoudi)
    Erin Gann
    • Mortuary Affairs Officeras Mortuary Affairs Officer
    Justin Campbell
    Justin Campbell
    • Sergeant Carteras Sergeant Carter
    • Director
      • Kathryn Bigelow
    • Writer
      • Mark Boal
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Zero Dark Thirty
    7.4
    Zero Dark Thirty
    Lone Survivor
    7.5
    Lone Survivor
    Argo
    7.7
    Argo
    Black Hawk Down
    7.7
    Black Hawk Down
    American Sniper
    7.3
    American Sniper
    The King's Speech
    8.0
    The King's Speech
    Slumdog Millionaire
    8.0
    Slumdog Millionaire
    Crash
    7.8
    Crash
    The Town
    7.5
    The Town
    Jarhead
    7.0
    Jarhead
    Fury
    7.5
    Fury
    Captain Phillips
    7.8
    Captain Phillips

    Storyline

    Edit
    An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat, behaving as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever. —BWR Public Relations
    • imperialism
    • iraq
    • loss of friend
    • bomb
    • dangerous job
    • 273 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • You'll know when you're in it.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Thriller
      • War
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for war violence and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in the country of Jordan. Access was denied for a week of filming at a U.S. Military Base in Kuwait.
    • Goofs
      One character says an Iraqi with a video camera is preparing a clip for YouTube. The scene takes place in 2004. YouTube was created in 2005.
    • Quotes

      Staff Sergeant William James: [Speaking to his son] You love playing with that. You love playing with all your stuffed animals. You love your mommy, your daddy, your nature pajamas. You love everything, don't ya? Yeah. But you know what, buddy? As you get older... some of the things that you love might not seem so special anymore, you know? Like your Jack-in-a-Box. Maybe you'll realize it's just a piece of tin and a stuffed animal, but the older you get, the fewer things you really love, and by the time you get to my age, maybe it's only one or two things. With me, I think it's one.

    • Crazy credits
      There are no opening credits, not even a title.
    • Connections
      Edited into De wereld draait door: Episode #5.104 (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Fear (Is Big Business)
      Written by Al Jourgensen (as Jourgensen) / Tommy Victor (as Victor) / Ministry

      Performed by Ministry

      Courtesy of 13th Planet Records, Inc.

    User reviews1K

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    An excellent film
    Military and war movies are problematic for me, at least modern-era ones; I wasn't in World War II or Vietnam but the post-Desert Storm era Army is a very well known quantity for me, and military movies set in this period (to include those set in the current Iraq / Afghanistan wars) almost always get some nagging thing wrong. Lieutenants and Captains don't call Colonels by their first names, and no one would ever wear a class-B wool sweater into a jungle at night, just to name two examples I've actually seen on screen in recent years.

    "The Hurt Locker" slips up a bit, too, but to my surprise, I was able to forgive those missteps almost completely, because the movie on the whole is the most compelling war movie in many years, and just a great movie, period: terrifically acted, brilliantly conceived and directed, a work of true cinematic art. Like the committed professionals that it portrays, "The Hurt Locker" as a movie shows what movies are capable of when knowledgeable, experienced professionals are on top of their game.

    "Saving Private Ryan" is generally regarded as THE modern war classic, and just about any picture set in war is going to draw at least a peripheral comparison to Steven Spielberg's flawed masterpiece, thanks to the still-detonating power of that film's master-class opening sequence, which took filmed combat to levels of never-before-seen verisimilitude. "The Hurt Locker" doesn't have that level of intensity, because it works on a smaller scale: the majority of the action is between individuals, not battalions. But there are extended sequences in "The Hurt Locker" that rival "Ryan" for impact, tightening the screws more slowly, more claustrophobically, until you feel as though you've been holding your breath even when you haven't. There are at least three of these sequences in "The Hurt Locker," all done in their own pace without dragging, all expertly performed, all showing a face of war that we haven't seen on film before.

    There are bit roles from recognizable actors like David Morse (brilliant in his few moments on screen), Guy Pearce, and Ralph Finnes, but the majority of the acting load is shouldered by lesser-knowns Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie; they're both excellent. In a just world, this movie would be earning four hundred million in the US, not "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." But while the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pulled plenty of "say what?" moment in the past ("Crash," really?!?), they still have a chance to do right by this film and quality cinema in general: Best Picture nomination, a Best Director nod for Kathryn Bigelow, Best Screenplay (of some sort; this is based on journalism by the writer, Mark Boal, which may qualify it as "adapted" work), and acting nominations for Renner and Mackie. Yes, it's that good.

    It's still only August and there's a lot of film to come in the ramp-up months to awards season, so this may be a stretch. But any movie that's going to top "The Hurt Locker" as my favorite of 2009 certainly has its work cut out for it.

    BONUS POINTS: Unlike so many lesser films ("Crash," again looking in your direction), "The Hurt Locker" feels no need to explain its title on screen. There's never a point (at least that I recall) in which a character earnestly says, "Man, we're really in the hurt locker now" or words to that effect. A small point, sure, but just another nod to the creativity and confidence of the filmmakers.
    helpful•42
    22
    • t_baker
    • Aug 9, 2009

    FAQ6

    • Is "The Hurt Locker" based on a book?
    • Where does the title come from?
    • Does "Beckham" die?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 31, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Vivir al límite
    • Filming locations
      • Amman, Jordan
    • Production companies
      • Voltage Pictures
      • Grosvenor Park Media
      • Film Capital Europe Funds (FCEF )
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $15,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $17,017,811
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $145,352
      • Jun 28, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $49,259,766
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 11 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Voltage Pictures’ YA Genre Affair: Sets ‘Game Of Love’ With Bella Thorne & ‘Loneliest Boy In The World’ With Ashley Benson & Hero Fiennes Tiffin – Cannes
    Voltage Pictures’ YA Genre Affair: Sets ‘Game Of Love’ With Bella Thorne & ‘Loneliest Boy In The World’ With Ashley Benson & Hero Fiennes Tiffin – Cannes
    May 16Deadline Film + TV
    ‘Red Right Hand’: Mo McRae, Brian Geraghty & More Round Out Cast Of Ian And Eshom Nelms’ Action-Thriller
    ‘Red Right Hand’: Mo McRae, Brian Geraghty & More Round Out Cast Of Ian And Eshom Nelms’ Action-Thriller
    Apr 25Deadline Film + TV

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Hurt Locker (2008)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of The Hurt Locker (2008) in Canada?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.