An Intense, Near-Perfect War Drama

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2015)

What could I say about The Hurt Locker that has not already been said? The winner of over 120 awards, including six Oscars (including Best Picture), The Hurt Locker is undoubtedly a profound achievement in both visual storytelling and modern film making, chronicling a little over a month spent by a US bomb squad in Baghdad, Iraq.
Incredibly intense, with an unwavering sense of realism and a fresh feel to the modern war genre, The Hurt Locker is also more than meets the eye: a modern action drama on the surface, and a dramatic story of recklessness, life and death, guilt, and the damaging psychological ramifications of war.
These elements are brought together beautifully under Bigelow's direction and through the writing of Mark Boal, not to mention the skillful acting of almost everyone that appears on screen. The Hurt Locker is a film that almost leaves you winded after viewing through its intense immersion and nearly perfect cinematic execution.