Reviews:
"[I]t's politically loaded stuff, too, but Bigelow's in the thriller business, and therein rests LOCKER's greatest appeal....Propulsive, crisply edited, literally explosive..." - 06/22/2009 Movieline

4 stars out of 5 -- "With its meaty, intelligent story and a plethora of violent pyrotechnics, it is the rare kind of movie that has plenty to appeal to fans of action and drama alike." - 06/26/2009 Box Office

"Overwhelmingly tense, overflowing with crackling verisimilitude, it's both the film about the war in Iraq that we've been waiting for and the kind of unqualified triumph that's long been expected from director Kathryn Bigelow." - 06/26/2009 Los Angeles Times

"Bigelow has always thrived on graphic intensity, and in the early going especially, she suggests the psychological toll on Renner, Mackie, and Geraghty one aggravating mission at a time." -- Grade: A- - 06/25/2009 A.V. Club

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The dazzling virtuosity of her ticking-bomb thriller includes staying alert to what's ticking inside the men....Bigelow builds a combustible drama that shakes you in ways you don't see coming." - 07/09/2009 Rolling Stone

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Skillfully directed by Kathryn Bigelow, LOCKER is both a psychological portrait and an exciting action film. It captures the complexities of the war in Iraq with visceral suspense as well as explosive sequences and powerful performances." - 06/26/2009 USA Today

4 stars out of 4 -- "[A] spellbinding war film....THE HURT LOCKER is a great film, an intelligent film a film shot clearly so that we know exactly who everybody is and where they are and what they're doing and why." - 07/08/2009 Chicago Sun-Times

4 stars out of 5 -- "[N]ot since the opening of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has a war movie made you feel so much part of the battle, the time writer Mark Boal spent embedded creaking into every edge-of-the-seat scene." - 07/23/2009 Total Film

Included in Entertainment Weekly's "The Best Films Of The Year" -- "THE HURT LOCKER blows away out-dated movie depictions of bravery and obsession, risk and responsibility." - 12/25/2009 Entertainment Weekly

Included in Los Angeles Times's "Best Films Of 2009" -- "Kathryn Bigelow's tightly wound drama of military bomb squads in modern desert wars was brilliantly executed." - 12/20/2009 Los Angeles Times

Ranked #3 in Rolling Stone's "The 10 Best Movies Of 2009" -- "[T]he directing tour de force of the year..." - 12/24/2009 Rolling Stone

Ranked #1 in USA Today's "Top Ten Films Of 2009." - 12/31/2009 USA Today

5 stars out of 5 -- "[O]ne of the great American films of the decade, certainly the best American movie since THERE WILL BE BLOOD, shocking, overwhelming and unforgettable." - 08/24/2009 Uncut

"[A] first-rate action thriller, a vivid evocation of urban warfare in Iraq and a penetrating study of heroism." - 06/21/2012 Wall Street Journal