The Hurt Locker Fear Quotes

How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from The Hurt Locker.

Quote #7

SANBORN: I'm done. I want a son. I want a little boy, Will. I mean, how do you do it, you know? Take the risk?

WILL: I don't know, I just...I guess I don't think about it.

SANBORN: Every time we go out, it's life or death, you roll the dice...You recognize that, don't you?

WILL: Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I do. But I don't know why, you know. Yeah. I don't know, JT. You know why I am the way I am?

SANBORN: No, I don't.

Finally, we get the key to Will's ability not to be scared: he doesn't think. Makes sense, right? Cambridge has basically been trying to get Eldridge not to think for the entire film so that he can have a more positive perception of the war experience. That may help you survive, but are there negative consequences of not thinking?

Quote #8

SANBORN: I'm not ready to die, James.

WILL: Well, you're not going to die out here, bro.

This is probably the first time we've seen real fear from Sanborn about his own mortality. Naturally, Will just assures him that everything will be fine since Will doesn't seem to ponder the worst-case-scenario stuff too deeply.

Quote #9

WILL: Get your hands up.

TRANSLATOR: He says he has a family, please help him.

WILL: Now, listen, look, it'd be a lot easier for me to disarm this if I just shoot you, do you understand? Alright, what's he saying?

TRANSLATOR: He says, "I don't wish to die. I have a family. Please take this off me."

WILL: Well, tell him to put his hands behind his head or I'll be very happy to shoot him. Look, that's not what I said. Tell him to put his hands behind his head or I will shoot him.

In this case, both Will and the man he's helping seem jumpy. Well, actually, the man Will is helping is outright terrified since he has a bomb strapped to him, and Will seems to be on edge because he's having trouble getting the guy to comply with directions through a translator.