Review: The Hurt Locker

Grade: A

US Army Sergeant First Class William James joins Bravo Company in Iraq. He is replacing Sgt Matt Thompson in the elite bomb squad after he is killed in the process of disposing an improvised explosive device. William is, in a matter of speaking, rather passionate about his job. William does things the way he wants, regardless of what his teammates think who just want to survive their last month in Iraq. However, all of Will's risk taking is driving all of his teammates to the edge and is causing some disturbances amongst them. Mostly, he is clashing with Bravo Company's leader, Sgt JT Sanborn, who is very by the book and is just counting down the days till he gets to go home. As tensions mount amongst all of the team members, the city explodes into chaos and Will's true character comes out and it changes everyone.

This movie was just absolutely amazing and it is no wonder that it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, amongst others. Kathryn Bigelow, who recently became the first female director to win the Director's Guild Award for best Director of a motion picture, did an absolutely amazing job with this movie. It is a beautifully shot movie that will take your breath away at times. The story and plot are very gripping and you really grow to know each of the characters personally. This movie does such an amazing job of showing the tension of disarming bombs in Iraq when they have to be aware of all of the people nearby as at least one of them maybe bombers themselves. And the portrayal of Sgt First Class William James is intense as you get to see all the different sides of who he is and why he does what he does. Just an amazing movie.

Jeremy Renner (28 Weeks Later, North Country) plays the lead role of Sgt First Class William James. Renner did a fantastic job with this role, very beautifully playing all the different aspects of the character. It really is no wonder to me that he was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars this year. Anthony Mackie (Eagle Eye, We Are Marshall) plays Sgt JT Sanborn. Mackie did a great job as the leader of Bravo Company and portraying how his by-the-book character clashes with James risk taking. The movie also features great performances by Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse and Evangeline Lily.

This movie is simply amazing and is a must see in my opinion. The direction and acting are all top notch and I believe Kathryn Bigelow has a great chance to win Best Director at the Oscars and be the first woman to do so. This movie is one of the best of 2009 and I strongly encourage everybody to watch it.

Great quote: "There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm going to die, I want to die comfortable."