The Hurt Locker is a war thriller film which has received widespread acclaim from film critics and has won numerous awards.

Helmed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker is one of the films considered as strong contender in the upcoming Academy Awards. The film follows a United States Army EOD team during the Iraq War. The story was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as members of a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq and follows their tour together as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops between them.

The film was shot in the Middle East, specifically in Jordan, within miles of the Iraq border. It was first released theatrically in the United States on June 26, 2009 in New York and Los Angeles. Based on the success of its limited run, the independent film received a more widespread theatrical release in the United States on July 24, 2009. The New York Times called The Hurt Locker “the year’s most critically acclaimed American film”. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 97% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on a sample of 175, with an average score of 8.4 out of 10.

In the recent announcement of the 2010 Golden Globes nominees, this film was tapped for Best Picture Drama, Best Screenplay for Mark Boal and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. It will compete with Up in the Air, Avatar, Inglorious Basterds and Precious for the top plum.

VIDEO LINK: The Hurt Locker HD Trailer