Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 07/24/09 Home Video Not Available MPAA Rating Rated R for war violence Running Time 2 hours 10 minutes Genre Drama, Action Director Kathryn Bigelow Writer Mark Boal Cast Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce Studio Summit Entertainment |
THE HURT LOCKER (2009)
SYNOPSIS
In the summer of 2004, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony
Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty)
of Bravo Company are at the volatile center of the war,
part of a small counterforce specifically trained to
handle the homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs), that account for more than half of
American hostile deaths and have killed thousands of
Iraqis. A high-pressure, high-stakes assignment, the
job leaves no room for mistakes, as they learn when
they lose their team leader on a mission.
When Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner)
takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are
shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for
military protocol and basic safety measures. And yet,
in the fog of war, appearances are never reliable for
long. Is James really a swaggering adrenaline junkie
who lives for the moments when the margin of error is
zero – or is he a consummate professional who has
honed his esoteric craft to high-wire precision? As the
fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men
struggle to understand and contain their new leader
long enough for them to make it home. They have only
38 days left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new
mission comes another deadly encounter, and as
James blurs the line between bravado and bravery, it
seems only a matter of time before disaster will strike.
In the summer of 2004, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony
Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty)
of Bravo Company are at the volatile center of the war,
part of a small counterforce specifically trained to
handle the homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive
Devices (IEDs), that account for more than half of
American hostile deaths and have killed thousands of
Iraqis. A high-pressure, high-stakes assignment, the
job leaves no room for mistakes, as they learn when
they lose their team leader on a mission.
When Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner)
takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are
shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for
military protocol and basic safety measures. And yet,
in the fog of war, appearances are never reliable for
long. Is James really a swaggering adrenaline junkie
who lives for the moments when the margin of error is
zero – or is he a consummate professional who has
honed his esoteric craft to high-wire precision? As the
fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men
struggle to understand and contain their new leader
long enough for them to make it home. They have only
38 days left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new
mission comes another deadly encounter, and as
James blurs the line between bravado and bravery, it
seems only a matter of time before disaster will strike.
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
With a visual and emotional intensity that makes audiences feel like they have been transported to Iraq’s
dizzying, 24-hour turmoil, The Hurt Locker is both a portrayal of real-life sacrifice, and a probing look at
the soul-numbing rigors and potent allure of the modern battlefield.
--© Fox Searchlight
dizzying, 24-hour turmoil, The Hurt Locker is both a portrayal of real-life sacrifice, and a probing look at
the soul-numbing rigors and potent allure of the modern battlefield.
--© Fox Searchlight