THE HURT LOCKER CONDENSED FACT SHEET
CONTEXT
- Kathryn Bigelow was the director
- THL came out in 2009
- It earned 6 Academy Awards, including best picture in 2009
- They used Iraqi refugees as extras and shot in Amman and Jordan, which border Iraq, so the
architecture and mise-en-scene was as accurate and possible
- It was shot over 44 days on 16mm film rolls with about 14 cameras going at the same time.
There was over 200 hours of footage
- When blocking scenes, neither the camera men nor actors were aware of each other’s
movements, meaning the first take was a genuinely authentic, immersive experience.
- Mark Boal, the writer, went to Iraq and lived with bomb squad soldiers, and also went out
on missions with them
BIGELOW’S INTENT
- Wanted to give the audience a real look at what fighting in the war looks like
- She wanted to maintain the reportorial quality that came from Mark Boal’s investigative
journalist piece of 2004
- She imagined it to be as immersive as possible, and to blur the distinction between sound
design and score
- Aimed to educate people about bomb disposal squads and to humanise soldiers
CRITICISMS
- Many veterans criticised it for its unrealistic depiction for wartime conditions
o Rarely is a bomb defused with wire cutters instead of using advanced robot
technology
- James’ demeanour is criticised as a negative depiction of US soldiers.
- There was a lawsuit as a veteran claimed the story was based on an article about his life.
NARRATIVE
- The quote ‘War is a drug’ is supposed to represent the secret that some men love war
- Shots of civilians through guns show how they are treated as suspects and outsiders in their
own country
- Reed (the officer) congratulates James on the number of detonations, enabling his
adrenaline seeking behaviours. Before this, someone in his platoon shoots an Iraqi and he
tells them to leave the man and that he will die. This shows how he views humans
(especially the Iraqi) as collateral damage for their main goal
- Having a well-known actor (Guy Pierce) die at the beginning of the opening sequence
increases the stakes as it shows that anyone can die in the war, and also hooks people in
- Lack of traditional scoring as it is brutally naturalistic, and it works in combination with the
non-diegetic sound
- Follows a cyclical structure James returns home and then goes back to war
- James cannot save the suicide bomber and in the next scene he is back home. Creates an
inference that he has met his match and failed. However, it also gives the inference that his
job isn’t finished, and he has to go back
- POV shot of the robot's camera at the beginning feels like a video game. Creates an
inference that war is addictive like video games, and it desensitises the war environment.
The isolated shot being the first shot we see of Iraq mirrors the isolated job of the bomb
disposal team.
- The representation of masculinity is being a strong man by leaving your family to pursue
your interests
- The ending is effective in resolving the audience’s internal conflict of how we are supposed
to feel about James as it is revealed that war is truly where he feels at home and that he
genuinely loves it. Shown through him wearing brown when he is at home. His time at
home also resolves his internal conflict as it gives him clarity that war is where he is
happiest. Evokes sympathy in the audience
- Themes of rails (The rails breaking off the robot, the train track rails where Eldridge shoots
the sniper, James acting ‘off-the-rails’) and of voyeurism (‘They’re watching me’, ‘they have
a camera’, takes an observational documentary approach)
WAR GENRE CONVENTIONS
- Narrative Set during real wartime, focus on soldiers or military personnel, conflict-driven
plots involving battles, often includes a journey or transformation, depicts sacrifice, duty,
honour or sometimes the futility and trauma of war
- Character The hero is a brave or reluctant soldier who is tested morally or physically, the
squad is a group of soldiers with different personalities, the commander is a figure of
, authority, the enemy is often faceless, dehumanised or ideologically opposed, the civilians
are the victims or moral compasses
- Visual Muted colour palettes, handheld and shaky cameras, realistic sound design, grainy
or desaturated footage, gritty or weathered environments
- Thematic Brotherhood and camaraderie, trauma and PTSD, duty vs morality, nationalism
or anti-war sentiments, sacrifice and heroism
- Ideological Glorification of patriotism or questioning it, dehumanisation of the enemy vs
humanising moments. It often reflects the politics of the era in which the film was made
- Iconography Military uniforms, medals, helmets, weapons (rifles, grenades, tanks, fighter
planes), flags, maps, dog tags, explosions, trenches, war-torn landscapes, letter from home,
photographs of loved ones
HOW DOES THL CONFORM/SUBVERT THE GENRE
- Conforms through narrative (set during a real war (the Iraq War), features high-stakes,
combat-related tensions), characters (the hero is James, the squad includes classic
archetypes like Sanborn being the level-headed one, Eldridge being the anxious one, the
enemy are unseen and ambiguous), visual style (uses handheld camera work to increase
realism, muted colour palette, authentic sound design, realistic costuming and
iconography), themes (explores brotherhood, duty, and sacrifice, deals heavily with PTSD
and trauma, questions the line between heroism and obsession)
- Subverts through narrative (lack of clear overarching plot, it’s more episodic and personal,
no clear enemy – the threat comes from the environment, tension, and uncertainty, ends on
a bleak note -rather than triumph or resolution, the hero returns to war voluntarily, addicted
to it), characters (James isn’t a traditional hero – he’s reckless, addicted to war, emotionally
closed off, no significant civilian or love interest, the villain is internal – James’ psychology,
not a person), themes (instead of glorifying war, it critiques the addiction to adrenaline and
danger, raises the question of if James is a hero or he is broken beyond repair, shows war
as monotonous, tense, and dehumanising, not just action-filled and heroic), audience
engagement (it’s an open text – invites interpretation rather than presenting a clear moral
stance, more psychological thriller than traditional war epic)
BIGELOW’S DIRECTORIAL SIGNATURES
- Realism and immersion Handheld cameras and natural lighting for a documentary-like
feel, use of long takes and POV shots, often shoots on location
- Intense physical and psychological tension Puts characters in extreme, life-threatening
situations, focuses on psychological strain especially in male-dominated environments,
tension builds through silence, stillness and delayed action)
- Complex characters Protagonists are usually flawed, explores masculinity and moral
ambiguity, female characters are often sidelines
- Subversion of genre tropes She works within genres but undermines expectations, i.e not
glorifying violence, questioning heroism, blending art house with mainstream action
- Use of violence as a psychological tool Violence is sudden, brutal and unglamorous, it’s
used to explore fear and addiction
- Minimalist dialogue Often shows rather than tells through facial expressions and pacing,
dialogue is sparse which adds to the tension and realism
- Female gaze behind a traditionally male genre Her direction lacks the male gaze,
bringing a different emotional lens to action which is less about dominance and more about
survival
OPENING SCENE
- Close-up shots When the soldiers are interacting which shows their vulnerability, the
soldiers’ hands moving the robot creating a sci-fi like feel, Eldridge’s face when he sees the
man with the phone enables us to recognise the importance of this moment, the stones and
rusted gun when the bomb goes off to show the impact of it
- Ariel shots Thompson walking to the bomb to create a sense of scale, when Eldridge says
the place needs grass, there is a cut to an ariel shot to show the complete lack of greenery
- Over-the-shoulder shots When Thompson talks about the damage of the bomb we can
see the whole road and it emphasises the scale of danger they are dealing with
- Handheld camera Follows the soldiers and civilians making it feel like a documentary,
tracking shots and manual zoom ins to the soldiers make it feel like a sitcom
- POV shots The civilians through the gun lens showing how they are suspects despite
them being the citizens of the country, Thompson’s view as he walks over to the bomb
creating a sense of immersion and intensity
- Long shots Thompson as he approached the bomb highlighting the danger and showing
how we are taking a ‘safe position’ from what is happening
CONTEXT
- Kathryn Bigelow was the director
- THL came out in 2009
- It earned 6 Academy Awards, including best picture in 2009
- They used Iraqi refugees as extras and shot in Amman and Jordan, which border Iraq, so the
architecture and mise-en-scene was as accurate and possible
- It was shot over 44 days on 16mm film rolls with about 14 cameras going at the same time.
There was over 200 hours of footage
- When blocking scenes, neither the camera men nor actors were aware of each other’s
movements, meaning the first take was a genuinely authentic, immersive experience.
- Mark Boal, the writer, went to Iraq and lived with bomb squad soldiers, and also went out
on missions with them
BIGELOW’S INTENT
- Wanted to give the audience a real look at what fighting in the war looks like
- She wanted to maintain the reportorial quality that came from Mark Boal’s investigative
journalist piece of 2004
- She imagined it to be as immersive as possible, and to blur the distinction between sound
design and score
- Aimed to educate people about bomb disposal squads and to humanise soldiers
CRITICISMS
- Many veterans criticised it for its unrealistic depiction for wartime conditions
o Rarely is a bomb defused with wire cutters instead of using advanced robot
technology
- James’ demeanour is criticised as a negative depiction of US soldiers.
- There was a lawsuit as a veteran claimed the story was based on an article about his life.
NARRATIVE
- The quote ‘War is a drug’ is supposed to represent the secret that some men love war
- Shots of civilians through guns show how they are treated as suspects and outsiders in their
own country
- Reed (the officer) congratulates James on the number of detonations, enabling his
adrenaline seeking behaviours. Before this, someone in his platoon shoots an Iraqi and he
tells them to leave the man and that he will die. This shows how he views humans
(especially the Iraqi) as collateral damage for their main goal
- Having a well-known actor (Guy Pierce) die at the beginning of the opening sequence
increases the stakes as it shows that anyone can die in the war, and also hooks people in
- Lack of traditional scoring as it is brutally naturalistic, and it works in combination with the
non-diegetic sound
- Follows a cyclical structure James returns home and then goes back to war
- James cannot save the suicide bomber and in the next scene he is back home. Creates an
inference that he has met his match and failed. However, it also gives the inference that his
job isn’t finished, and he has to go back
- POV shot of the robot's camera at the beginning feels like a video game. Creates an
inference that war is addictive like video games, and it desensitises the war environment.
The isolated shot being the first shot we see of Iraq mirrors the isolated job of the bomb
disposal team.
- The representation of masculinity is being a strong man by leaving your family to pursue
your interests
- The ending is effective in resolving the audience’s internal conflict of how we are supposed
to feel about James as it is revealed that war is truly where he feels at home and that he
genuinely loves it. Shown through him wearing brown when he is at home. His time at
home also resolves his internal conflict as it gives him clarity that war is where he is
happiest. Evokes sympathy in the audience
- Themes of rails (The rails breaking off the robot, the train track rails where Eldridge shoots
the sniper, James acting ‘off-the-rails’) and of voyeurism (‘They’re watching me’, ‘they have
a camera’, takes an observational documentary approach)
WAR GENRE CONVENTIONS
- Narrative Set during real wartime, focus on soldiers or military personnel, conflict-driven
plots involving battles, often includes a journey or transformation, depicts sacrifice, duty,
honour or sometimes the futility and trauma of war
- Character The hero is a brave or reluctant soldier who is tested morally or physically, the
squad is a group of soldiers with different personalities, the commander is a figure of
, authority, the enemy is often faceless, dehumanised or ideologically opposed, the civilians
are the victims or moral compasses
- Visual Muted colour palettes, handheld and shaky cameras, realistic sound design, grainy
or desaturated footage, gritty or weathered environments
- Thematic Brotherhood and camaraderie, trauma and PTSD, duty vs morality, nationalism
or anti-war sentiments, sacrifice and heroism
- Ideological Glorification of patriotism or questioning it, dehumanisation of the enemy vs
humanising moments. It often reflects the politics of the era in which the film was made
- Iconography Military uniforms, medals, helmets, weapons (rifles, grenades, tanks, fighter
planes), flags, maps, dog tags, explosions, trenches, war-torn landscapes, letter from home,
photographs of loved ones
HOW DOES THL CONFORM/SUBVERT THE GENRE
- Conforms through narrative (set during a real war (the Iraq War), features high-stakes,
combat-related tensions), characters (the hero is James, the squad includes classic
archetypes like Sanborn being the level-headed one, Eldridge being the anxious one, the
enemy are unseen and ambiguous), visual style (uses handheld camera work to increase
realism, muted colour palette, authentic sound design, realistic costuming and
iconography), themes (explores brotherhood, duty, and sacrifice, deals heavily with PTSD
and trauma, questions the line between heroism and obsession)
- Subverts through narrative (lack of clear overarching plot, it’s more episodic and personal,
no clear enemy – the threat comes from the environment, tension, and uncertainty, ends on
a bleak note -rather than triumph or resolution, the hero returns to war voluntarily, addicted
to it), characters (James isn’t a traditional hero – he’s reckless, addicted to war, emotionally
closed off, no significant civilian or love interest, the villain is internal – James’ psychology,
not a person), themes (instead of glorifying war, it critiques the addiction to adrenaline and
danger, raises the question of if James is a hero or he is broken beyond repair, shows war
as monotonous, tense, and dehumanising, not just action-filled and heroic), audience
engagement (it’s an open text – invites interpretation rather than presenting a clear moral
stance, more psychological thriller than traditional war epic)
BIGELOW’S DIRECTORIAL SIGNATURES
- Realism and immersion Handheld cameras and natural lighting for a documentary-like
feel, use of long takes and POV shots, often shoots on location
- Intense physical and psychological tension Puts characters in extreme, life-threatening
situations, focuses on psychological strain especially in male-dominated environments,
tension builds through silence, stillness and delayed action)
- Complex characters Protagonists are usually flawed, explores masculinity and moral
ambiguity, female characters are often sidelines
- Subversion of genre tropes She works within genres but undermines expectations, i.e not
glorifying violence, questioning heroism, blending art house with mainstream action
- Use of violence as a psychological tool Violence is sudden, brutal and unglamorous, it’s
used to explore fear and addiction
- Minimalist dialogue Often shows rather than tells through facial expressions and pacing,
dialogue is sparse which adds to the tension and realism
- Female gaze behind a traditionally male genre Her direction lacks the male gaze,
bringing a different emotional lens to action which is less about dominance and more about
survival
OPENING SCENE
- Close-up shots When the soldiers are interacting which shows their vulnerability, the
soldiers’ hands moving the robot creating a sci-fi like feel, Eldridge’s face when he sees the
man with the phone enables us to recognise the importance of this moment, the stones and
rusted gun when the bomb goes off to show the impact of it
- Ariel shots Thompson walking to the bomb to create a sense of scale, when Eldridge says
the place needs grass, there is a cut to an ariel shot to show the complete lack of greenery
- Over-the-shoulder shots When Thompson talks about the damage of the bomb we can
see the whole road and it emphasises the scale of danger they are dealing with
- Handheld camera Follows the soldiers and civilians making it feel like a documentary,
tracking shots and manual zoom ins to the soldiers make it feel like a sitcom
- POV shots The civilians through the gun lens showing how they are suspects despite
them being the citizens of the country, Thompson’s view as he walks over to the bomb
creating a sense of immersion and intensity
- Long shots Thompson as he approached the bomb highlighting the danger and showing
how we are taking a ‘safe position’ from what is happening
