I can certainly recommend The Hurt Locker to anyone who appreciates a well-produced, above-average, dramatic, soul-searching piece of filmmaking.

Rating: 9/10 (5 May 2016)

The Hurt Locker, about an American bomb disposal squad operating in Iraq, has more than its fair share of blood-thirsty action, but ultimately, it is about the members of the squad and how their dangerous jobs affected them.
There have been many criticisms levelled at this movie concerning factual inaccuracies within the 'nuts and bolts' of the story. It has been said that such bomb squads did not operate in the manner depicted in the movie and certain events could never have happened in the way portrayed. I have some sympathy for this criticism, for if you are making a deadly serious movie about a recent historical event that is still burning in the hearts and consciousness of many, then I do feel the producers have a duty not to deliberately misrepresent the truth. However, in general, I doubt whether the so-called inaccuracies had any serious impact on the film, as the story is about the people, not about the correctness of the technical operations. Indeed, many within the military have praised it as a work of 'admitted fiction' that does much to illustrate the horrors of war and the effect on brave soldiers in the front line – whatever their nationalities happen to be.
I can certainly recommend The Hurt Locker to anyone who appreciates a well-produced, above-average, dramatic, soul-searching piece of filmmaking.These days, most of us have become desensitized to the mass killings that are shown 24/7 in TV news reports from conflicts around the world. If this isn't enough, we are also assailed on every side by fictional violence that is stuffed down our throats by Hollywood and the TV producers, looking to improve ratings. But despite this regular gluttony of death and violence, The Hurt Locker really gets through to us movie-goers - we are there with them - as is evidenced by a rich haul of six Oscars, including best film, best director, and best screenplay.