Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...

Iraq, Post-InvasionThe movie's yellow- and orange-heavy cinematography really helps create the sense that the characters are slogging through some seriously scorching conditions. And hey, they're i...

Single NarrativeLike troops on the march, this narrative walks a straight line. Since almost everything we see takes place in Iraq and we're following the single storyline of Will's introduction to...

Drama, Action, WarThe film is about a war, so it's definitely, you know, a war film. Then there's the fact that war tends to involve a lot of killing, dying, and just overall crumminess—all of wh...

Sergeant Jeffrey Sarver, the subject of the article that inspired The Hurt Locker, has claimed that he invented the term "hurt locker"...but that's not really correct. According to the BBC, the who...

Like happy endings, do you? Well, sorry—your princess is in another castle. Will makes it back to his family safe and sound, but then he apparently volunteers to go right back. The fact is, he ha...

RWhat were you expecting, a G? Girl, please. These guys are in the middle of a war zone dealing with constant death and violence, which means we the audience are dealing with lots of death and viol...