THE HURT LOCKER follows three EOD techs in Iraq on their last 39 days in Iraq on active duty.  It is an intense and sometimes intimate film.  It is one of the better films of 2009.   It digs into the psychology of what soldiers go through serving on active duty in Iraq, a place where everything can be dangerous.  Staff Sergeant James (Jeremy Remmer) is the head of an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) Unit tasked with disarming bombs.  James takes many risks as he tries to remain alive to disarm the next bomb.  One in his unit thinks he is a little reckless while the other member is emotionally wounded by the death of their former unit leader.

THE HURT LOCKER work due to a great script enhanced by an action director at the top of her game, Kathryn Bigelow.   Jeremy Remmer is calm and intense as James who acts like nothing can touch him- a man focused on doing an important job to save lives.   The movie makes you feel what the EOD techs are and how it impacts their emotional states.   It is an intense film that stays with you after you watched it.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Audio commentary with Director Kathryn Bigelow and Writer Mark Boal.  It relates stories about the making of the film and the people who are there in Iraq as EOD techs.

The Behind-the Scenes fetaurette is a twelve minute EPK while the image gallery comes with optional audio from a Q&A recorded at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

I do wish they had more for extras on the disc than the image gallery, featurette, and audio commentary.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  TH HUNTER LOCKER is one of the best films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.  I hope it wins over AVATAR.

This DVD review is (c)3-5-2010 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com