Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker (97%)

The show has moved onto Kathryn Bigelow because Clay “deparately wanted to do her” and that means we’re starting off with the critically acclaimed “The Hurt Locker“. Directed by Bigelow and scripted by Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker is regarded as the best film about the most recent Iraq War. it stars Jeremy Renner as a hotshot EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) team member who may or may not have a deathwish. As he as his team (Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty) travel across Iraq disarming explosives, they begin to unravel under the endless pressure and conflict.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, “The Hurt Locker” is a “well-acted, intensely shot, action-filled war epic, it is thus far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War.” it currently has a 97% “fresh” rating on the site.

In this episode of the podcast, Wes and Clay discuss a film that is filled with tension and dread, shot in a location so hostile and uncomfortable it can’t help but bleed into the cinematography and acting. Plus! The guys discuss the (now defunct) Jeremy Renner app, Bigelow’s interest in stressed-out men, and whether or not William James is the most wretched anti-hero in film history!