the hurt locker is 2008 american war thriller movie directed by kathryn bigelow. it stars jeremy renner, anthony mackie, brian geraghty, christian camargo, ralph fiennes, david morse, and guy pearce. the movie is set in the iraq war and is about an explosive ordnance disposal team. the movie was a major critical success. many critics consider it the best movie of 2009 and one of the best films of the 2000s. the movie is part of the national film registry of the library of congress.