The Hurt Locker

We watched The Hurt Locker last night - nothing great about the plot, standard US of A Army in Iraq but found the flow of the action 'compelling', in that one was always waiting for the next anticipated event.

Essentially: "... Forced to play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in the chaos of war, an elite Army bomb squad unit must come together in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb. ..."

Storyline: "... An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever. ..."

Guy Pearce as Staff Sergeant Matt Thompson had a very short role. Main cast were Jeremy Renner as Sergeant First Class William James and he played a believable role as the 'bomb tech'. Anthony Mackie played the 'Mother Hen' of the bomb disposal group in the role of Sergeant JT Sanborn. Brian Geraghty, who we were waiting for to get killed (but didn't) was the 'baby of the team as Specialist Owen Eldridge. Geraghty ends up getting his leg shattered by 'friendly fire' when an attempt was made to kidnap him. Ralph Fiennes and David Morse had a brief appearance as security contractors.

6 out of 10 for something to watch on a slow night - a few "F..."-words, not any real sex scenes, some gratuitous violence and lots of bangs and a reasonable shoot out in a desert ambush!