Largely disappointing - and very overrated!

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2010)

The Hurt Locker is a strange beast indeed. At times it's a genuinely gripping drama - and Jeremy Renner is superb in the lead role - but Oscar material? I don't think so.
It's really only when the film concludes do you realise that there's a complete lack of any narrative drive to hold it all together - it's just a collection of drawn-out episodes which really don't amount to much. And despite the veneer of realism there are just too many inaccuracies and frankly ridiculous scenes included, most of which have been highlighted by other reviewers. The sniper scene in particular is just farcical! Having soaked up the hype regarding this film, and witnessed the Oscar feeding frenzy, I was ultimately a little disappointed with what is merely a better-than-average action flick.