The Hurt Locker

“You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.”

Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) joins a bomb disposal unit in Iraq as a routine patrol ends in explosion. James seems almost drawn to the wire and the timer, defusing devices with a steadiness that unnerves Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie). Bigelow films each IED like a blood test, the camera locked on trembling hands and sweat until the frame itself feels like it might detonate.