Misplaced Pages

The Hurt Locker: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:31, 23 July 2009 editInurhead (talk | contribs)698 editsm Reception: restoring link(s)← Previous edit Revision as of 23:57, 23 July 2009 edit undoInurhead (talk | contribs)698 editsm adding refs for top 20, expanded releaseNext edit →
Line 73: Line 73:


===Box office=== ===Box office===
The film had the highest per-screen average box office during its limited opening weekend, which averaged $36,000 per screen besting that of box office hit, ''].''<ref name="HitFix"></ref><ref name="Huge"></ref> It held the highest per-screen-average of any movie playing theatrically in the U.S. for the first two weeks of it's release and based on that success distributor ] is going wider with the film on July 24, 2009.<ref name="bom">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hurtlocker.htm | title=The Hurt Locker (2009) | work=] | accessdate=2009-07-23}}</ref> <ref name="VBO"></ref> The film had the highest per-screen average box office during its limited opening weekend, which averaged $36,000 per screen besting that of box office hit, ''].''<ref name="HitFix"></ref><ref name="Huge"></ref> It held the highest per-screen-average of any movie playing theatrically in the U.S. for the first two weeks of it's release, gradually moving into the top 20 films, even in its limited screen run.<ref name="APTop20"></ref> Based on that success distributor ] is going wider with the film on July 24, 2009.<ref name="bom">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hurtlocker.htm | title=The Hurt Locker (2009) | work=] | accessdate=2009-07-23}}</ref><ref name="VBO"></ref><ref name="EWPick"></ref><ref name="Mend"></ref>


==Awards and nominations== ==Awards and nominations==

Revision as of 23:57, 23 July 2009

2008 American film
The Hurt Locker
Directed byKathryn Bigelow
Written byMark Boal
Produced byTony Mark (executive)
Nicolas Chartier
Kathryn Bigelow
Mark Boal
Greg Shapiro
Donall McCusker
(co-producer)
StarringJeremy Renner
Anthony Mackie
Brian Geraghty
Evangeline Lilly
Ralph Fiennes
David Morse
Guy Pearce
Christian Camargo
CinematographyBarry Ackroyd
Edited byChris Innis
Bob Murawski
Music byMarco Beltrami
Buck Sanders
Distributed bySummit Entertainment
Release datesOctober 10, 2008 (Italy)
June 26, 2009 (US, limited)
Running time131 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million (estimate)
Box office$2,462,296 (worldwide)

The Hurt Locker is a 2009 American war thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Shot in Jordan, the film is based on recently declassified information about a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) (bomb squad) team in present day Iraq. The Hurt Locker is written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad.

The Hurt Locker was picked up by distributor Summit Entertainment. The film was released in the U.S. on June 26, 2009 in New York and Los Angeles, going wider on July 24, 2009.

Plot

In Iraq, a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit is forced to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the chaos of war in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb. Jeremy Renner plays the leader of the EOD team, as he contends with not only defusing bombs in the backdrop of a war, but also the psychological and emotional strain that it inflicts.

Overview

The Hurt Locker stars Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie, as well as Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Brian Geraghty, and Evangeline Lilly.

The script was written by first-time screenwriter Mark Boal, a freelance writer who has contributed to Playboy, The Village Voice and Rolling Stone magazines and who also wrote the short story that inspired the film In the Valley of Elah. Boal spent time embedded with a real bomb squad, which was a source for the story.

Other members of the key filmmaking crew include director of photography Barry Ackroyd, film editors Chris Innis and Bob Murawski, production designer Karl Júlíusson, production sound mixer Ray Beckett, and costume designer George Little. The film's real explosions and special effects were designed by Richard Stutsman and his team. The score was composed by Academy Award nominated composer Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders.

The Hurt Locker was shot mainly on location in the Middle East, over forty-four days from July to September 2007, during the height of the Iraq war surge. Often four or more camera crews filmed simultaneously, which resulted in nearly 200 hours of footage. There were also two days of pick up shots filmed in or around Vancouver, Canada, to accomodate home town actress, Evangeline Lilly.

Although the filmmakers scouted for locations in Morocco, director Kathryn Bigelow sought greater authenticity and decided to film in Jordan because of its close proximity to Iraq. Some of the locations were less than three miles from the Iraqi border. All the Iraqi roles in the film were played by displaced Iraqi war refugees living in Jordan, many of them trained actors who had been forced to flee their country.. They included roles by Suhail Aldabbach, Nabil Koni, Feisal Sadoun, Imad Dadudi, Hasan Darwish, Wasfi Amour, Nibras Quassem, Nader Tarawneh and very notably Christopher Sayegh in the role of "Beckham", the Iraqi street vendor kid who befriends Staff Sergeant William James played by Jeremy Renner.

Lead actor Jeremy Renner, who trained with real EOD teams prior to shooting the film, says that great pains were taken to ensure the film's authenticity. According to Renner, shooting the film in the Middle East contributed to this. "There were two by fours with nails being dropped from two-story buildings that hit me in the helmet and they were throwing rocks... we got shot at a few times while we were filming," Renner said. "When you see it, you're gonna feel like you've been in war."

"You can't fake that amount of heat," Anthony Mackie who plays Sgt. Sanborn says, adding, "When you are on set and all of the extras are Iraqi refugees, it really informs the movie that you're making. When you start hearing the stories from a true perspective... of people who were actually there, it gives you a clear viewpoint of where you are as an artist and the story you would like to tell. It was a great experience to be there."

According to screenwriter Boal, "It's the first movie about the Iraq war that purports to show the experience of the soldiers." "We wanted to show the kinds of things that soldiers go through that you can't see on CNN." He adds, "Most war movies don't come out until after the war is over. It's really exciting for me, coming out of the world of journalism, to have a movie come out about a conflict while the conflict is still going on."

Premieres and festival screenings

The world premiere of The Hurt Locker was at the 65th Annual Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, on September 4, 2008. According to VARIETY, the bomb-squad actioner "jolted Venice" with high-adrenaline, receiving a ten minute standing ovation.

The film also won the SIGNIS grand prize at the Venice Film Festival. According to the jury’s statement, the motivation for this choice is "the filmmakers' uncompromising approach to the Iraq war and its consequences seen through the experience of the bomb technicians for whom war is an addiction rather than a cause. The film challenges the audience’s view of war in general and the current war in particular because it demonstrates the struggle between violence to the body and psychological alienation." The Hurt Locker received several other awards in Venice, including the Arca Cinemagiovani Award (Arca Young Cinema Award) for "Best Film Venezia 65" (chosen by an international youth jury); the Human Rights Film Network Award; and the "La Navicella" – Venezia Cinema Award.

The film's North American premiere was at the 33rd Annual Toronto International Film Festival, where it was listed as being among the "top 6 picks" of the festival. Festival co-director Bailey says that The Hurt Locker "unlocked the key to making a film about the Iraq War. It transcends what is going on in the headlines... and finds something that's mysterious and symbolic." Entertainment Weekly's film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum listed the film as her number one find at Toronto, adding: "Jeremy Renner gives a knockout performance... Every step he takes is truly a matter of life and death — for him as well as for the soldiers he serves with... the anxiety and tension of battle (are compressed) into every frame."

The Hurt Locker is currently on a film festival world tour, having been screened out of competition at the Zurich Film Festival and the 37th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal. It was scheduled as the opening film at the Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina in mid-November 2008 and at the Fifth Dubai International Film Festival on December 16, 2008. The film premiered at the 2008 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, and also at the Göteborg International Film Festival in Sweden in January 2009.

The Hurt Locker was screened at the 2009 tenth annual Film Comment Selects Festival of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas also included The Hurt Locker screening out-of-competition.

The film was a centerpiece presentation at the third annual 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival, where director Bigelow received an honorary Dallas Star Award. The Hurt Locker also screened in Bologna, Italy as part of the 2009 Bologna Human Rights Nights Film Festival which ran from March 27, 2009 through April 5, 2009. The Hurt Locker has also screened at The Seattle International Film Festival in May 2009 and at the 2009 Philadelphia Film Festival.

Reception

The Hurt Locker has been very well received among critics, with a 93 average rating on Metacritic and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics". Several reviewers have described it as the best film yet made about the Iraq war.

Reviewing the film for TIME magazine at Venice, film critic Richard Corliss said, "The Hurt Locker is a near-perfect movie about men in war, men at work. Through sturdy imagery and violent action, it says that even Hell needs heroes." Toronto Star critic Peter Howell said, "Just when you think the battle of Iraq war dramas has been fought and lost, along comes one that demands to be seen... If you can sit through The Hurt Locker without your heart nearly pounding through your chest, you must be made of granite." Entertainment Weekly's film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film the rare "A" rating, calling it, "an intense, action-driven war pic, a muscular, efficient standout that simultaneously conveys the feeling of combat from within as well as what it looks like on the ground. This ain't no war videogame."

Film critic Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times praised the film with, "The Hurt Locker has killer impact... Overwhelmingly tense, overflowing with crackling verisimilitude, it's the film about the war in Iraq that we've been waiting for."

The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott wrote of the film, "The Hurt Locker is the best nondocumentary American feature made yet about the war in Iraq... You may emerge from “The Hurt Locker” shaken, exhilarated and drained, but you will also be thinking." Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal called it, "A first-rate action thriller, a vivid evocation of urban warfare in Iraq, a penetrating study of heroism and a showcase for austere technique, terse writing and a trio of brilliant performances." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times gave it four stars stating, "The Hurt Locker is a spellbinding war film... The suspense is real, and it is earned."

Less favourably, Variety's Derek Elley comments "war may be hell, but watching war movies can also be hell, especially when they don't get to the point." Elley did praise the film's editing, cinematography, costume and production design, while Variety contributor Anne Thompson has called the film, "riveting and intense", suggesting that it could be an early contender for the 2009 Academy Awards.

Kyle Smith of the New York Post said "Despite its pumped-up admiration for our troops and some scenes that spurt adrenaline like a fire hose, this sort-of-thriller about a bomb squad working in 2004 is stretched both timewise and for plausibility."

Box office

The film had the highest per-screen average box office during its limited opening weekend, which averaged $36,000 per screen besting that of box office hit, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It held the highest per-screen-average of any movie playing theatrically in the U.S. for the first two weeks of it's release, gradually moving into the top 20 films, even in its limited screen run. Based on that success distributor Summit Entertainment is going wider with the film on July 24, 2009.

Awards and nominations

Besides the four award wins and five nominations at the Venice Film Festival, The Hurt Locker was also nominated for International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE PLUS Grand Prix Golden Frog award for best cinematography by Barry Ackroyd. Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie were nominated for best acting categories for the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards. The AFI Dallas 2009 International Film Festival has awarded the AFI DALLAS honorary Star Award to the film's director, Bigelow. The film's director has also received recognition from ShoWest, the annual film exhibition confab in Las Vegas. At the 14th Annual Nantucket International Film Festival in Massachusetts, the Showtime Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting was awarded to The Hurt Locker screenwriter, Mark Boal.

Year Award Result Category Recipients
2008 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Nominated Best Film The Hurt Locker
Venice Film Festival SIGNIS Grand Prize Won Best Film
Venice Film Festival - Arca Cinemagiovani Award
(Arca Young Cinema Award)
Won Best Film Venezia 65
Venice Film Festival Human Rights Film Network Award Won Best Film
Venice Film Festival Young Cinema Award - "La Navicella" Won Best Film
CAMERIMAGE PLUS Grand Prix - "Golden Frog" Nominated Best Cinematography Barry Ackroyd
2009 Independent Spirit Awards Nominated Best Actor Jeremy Renner
Nominated Best Supporting Actor Anthony Mackie
Seattle International Film Festival Won Best Director Kathryn Bigelow
Nantucket International Film Festival Won Best Screenplay Mark Boal

References

  1. ^ "The Hurt Locker (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  2. ^ The New York Times "Recovering Treasures From Below the Radar" February 20, 2009, By A. O. SCOTT
  3. Kathryn Bigelow to Make The Hurt Locker
  4. "A few choice triumphs keep the Lido afloat" The Guardian UK, by Nick James September 7 2008
  5. "Summit takes 'Hurt Locker' in U.S." Variety, by Sharon Swart, Sept. 10, 2008
  6. Rope of Silicon "Summit Updates: Release Date for The Hurt Locker, Synopsis for Eclipse and Clip from Knowing" by Brad Brevet, January 27, 2009
  7. IMDB - Hollywood Chicago com “The Hurt Locker” Release date announced
  8. "'Hurt Locker' to Summit and 'Che' to IFC: Festival pick-ups find their Oscar chances" Rope of Silicon, by Brad Brevet, September 10, 2008
  9. "Toronto: "The Hurt Locker" sold to Summit Entertainment" LA Times blog, by Mark Olsen, Sep 10 2008
  10. "Oscar Update" Rope of Silicon
  11. Bigelow returns for The Hurt Locker Staff Wednesday March 14, 2007 Guardian.co.uk
  12. Film Independent.Org Director Series/Speakerbios
  13. ^ "Cast Announced for...'Hurt Locker'", July 17th 2007, Cinematical
  14. Screenweek lists full cast incl. E. Lilly July 31, 2008
  15. "The Hurt Locker, scheda del film e locandina Martedì", 15 Luglio 2008, cast listed
  16. Jeremy Renner.org - The Hurt Locker "Renner headlines... with Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, and Evangeline Lily."
  17. ^ Variety "Film trio feel the Spirit" by Erin Maxwell, Michael Jones, December 2, 2008
  18. "Hollywood Tackles Iraq" Karina Longworth, July 2007
  19. ^ Los Angeles Times "Hurt Locker: A soldier's-eye view of the Iraq war" By Mark Olsen, Special to The Times, September 8, 2008
  20. DGA Magazine "Kinetic" By Jeffrey Ressner, DGA Quarterly, December 2008
  21. Moving Pictures Magazine: The Hurt Locker Interviews, Jeremy Renner, Interview by Elliot V. Kotek
  22. WENN news 20 July 2008 "Renner Caught Up In Film 'War'"
  23. Voice of America (VOA), "'The Hurt Locker' Portays Drama, Tension of Real Life on Front Lines" by Alan Silverman, July 13, 2009
  24. ^ "Hollywood tears up script to make anti-war films while conflicts rage", Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian UK, August 14, 2007
  25. Variety, "Venice Film Fest Announces Slate" by Nick Vivarelli, July 29, 2008
  26. Variety "Hurt Locker gives Venice a jolt" By Nick Vivarelli, Sept, 4, 2008
  27. "HURT LOCKER wins Catholic Jury Prize at 65th Venice Film Festival"
  28. Venice Film Festival Awards
  29. "WWII Drama Among World Premieres..." by Etan Vlessing
  30. "TIFF: Our Top 6 picks" Canwest News Service
  31. Variety - Fall Fests Come into View, August 14, 2008
  32. Entertainment Weekly "Toronto Film Festival highlights, including 'The Hurt Locker,' 'JVCD,' and '$9.99'" by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Sept. 11, 2008
  33. "Peter Fonda Rides to Zurich: Actor to head jury at Swiss festival" Variety, by Ed Meza, Sept. 11, 2008
  34. Indiewire iW NEWS "Nouveau Cinema Announces Full Program" by Peter Knegt
  35. "The 37th Festival du Nouveau Cinéma Exciting films and extraordinary events for all audiences!" Sept. 24, 2008
  36. Variety "Hurt Locker to Open Mar Festival", by Charles Newbery, October 30, 2008
  37. Screen Daily, "The Hurt Locker Kicks off 23rd Mar del Plata Film Festival", by Diego Batlle, October 30, 2008
  38. Official site Fifth Dubai International Film Festival
  39. Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival by Sandy Mandelberger, Cineuropa.org
  40. Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Estonia, official web site
  41. Göteborg Internation Film Festival official web site
  42. Variety "Film Comment Selects Fest Set: Films by Boorman, Schrader, Bigelow to Screen", January 26th, 2009, by Sam Thielman
  43. Variety "SXSW unveils lineup", by Tatiana Siegel, February 1st, 2009
  44. Screendaily.com "Hurt Locker, Adventureland, Passing Strange join lineup at SXSW", February 2nd, 2009, by Jeremy Kay
  45. ^ Movie City News - Press Release "AFI Dallas 2009", March 28, 2009
  46. ^ Variety "Brothers Bloom to Open Dallas Fest: Hurt Locker Will also Screen at AFI event" by Dave McNary, March 4, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "VarAFI" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  47. ANSA.it "Bologna's Human Rights Nights", March 27, 2009
  48. Seattle International Film Festival web site "The Hurt Locker"
  49. Philadelphia Film Festival web site "The Hurt Locker"
  50. "Hurt Locker, The". Metacritic. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  51. "The Hurt Locker (2009) "Top Critics"". Rotten Tomatoes. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  52. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDDmuYwtL9MS6gTR0g5m7Z9nazcAD99007084
  53. http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/06/life-during-wartime.php
  54. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/06/29/090629crci_cinema_denby
  55. Time Magazine - Corliss on Film - "The Hurt Locker: A Near-Perfect War Film", by Richard Corliss, Venice, Sept 4, 2008
  56. The Star.com "The Hurt Locker" by Peter Howell, Movie Critic, Aug 31, 2008
  57. Entertainment Weekly "The Hurt Locker Movie Review" by Lisa Schwarzbaum, June 16, 2009
  58. The Los Angeles Times "The Hurt Locker - Movie Review" by Kenneth Turan, June 26, 2009
  59. The New York Times, "The Hurt Locker: Soldiers on a Live Wire Between Peril and Protocol" by A.O. Scott, June 26, 2009
  60. "Locker: Shock, Awe, Brilliance", The Wall Street Journal film review, by Joe Morgenstern, June 29, 2009
  61. Roger Ebert "The Hurt Locker" Review, Chicago Sun Times, July 8, 2009
  62. Elley, Derek (2008-09-05). "The Hurt Locker". Variety. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  63. Thompson on Hollywood Blog, Variety, "Trailer Watch: The Hurt Locker", April 15, 2009
  64. Thompson on Hollywood Blog, Variety, "Hurt Locker, Other Award Pics Directed by Women," June 28, 2009
  65. Thompson on Hollywood Blog, Variety, "Weekend Catch-Up: Holiday B.O., Harry Potter Review, Brennan, Klein R.I.P., Andreessen Fund," July 5, 2009
  66. Smith, Kyle (2009-06-26). "Defuse or Lose". New York Post. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  67. "'The Hurt Locker' gets off to a strong start with $144,000 in only 4 theaters" AP / HitFix, By David Germain (AP), June 28, 2009
  68. "Box Office: “Hurt Locker” Huge; “Cheri” Disappoints" by Peter Knegt, Indiewire, June 29, 2009
  69. AP - 'Harry Potter' franchise shows no sign of slowing (list of top 20 films)
  70. Variety.com - Weekend Box Office, July 10 - July 12, 2009
  71. Entertainment Weekly "Jeremy Renner in 'The Hurt Locker' makes our Must List", by Jean Bentley, July 8, 2009
  72. HuffPost Box Office in Review by Scott Mendelson, July 19, 2009
  73. Cameraimage Plus Grand Prix Golden Frog nominations official site
  74. The Hollywood Reporter "Kathryn Bigelow tapped for ShoWest nod", March 26, 2009
  75. Screen Daily "Nantucket honours The Cove, Dabis and Deller", June 22, 2009, by Wendy Mitchell

External links

Films directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Categories: