The Hurt Locker

Director Kathryn Bigelow returns to her strong suit: Action movies ("Blue Steel" and "Point Break"), in this 2009 SIFF screening. The story centers around US Army Demolition experts, who have ample opportunity to blow themselves up in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As you might expect, this movie offers LOTS of tension along with some unexpected faces, e.g., Guy Pearce ("The Count of Monte Cristo") and Ralph Fiennes ("In Bruges"). The premise of this movie is that in wartime, the tension alone generates enough adrenaline to hook an addictive personality.

Our heroes diffuse bombs, so expect plenty of blowie uppie stuff, lots of gunfire and of course, explosive personalities. I found it compelling from beginning to end.

Post Script: The 2009 SIFF evaluators gave this exciting film a strong positive score and this is favored to be one of the contenders in the Oscars!

Post Post Script: This one blew its major contender "Avatar" out of the water, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, plus four other Oscars.