The Reception of The Hurt Locker: Anti-War or ‘War Porn’?

Abstract

This chapter reviews The Hurt Locker as one of the most positively reviewed American films and most critically praised film about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It looks at reviews that emphasized how realistic The Hurt Locker was, its experiential immediacy, its contribution to how the war would come to be remembered, and its status as an apolitical text. It also asserts how The Hurt Locker can influence the public with very minimal knowledge of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and learn about what they do and how they do it. The chapter explains the vast majority of popular media that emerged from capitalist and corporate owned enterprises that are directly supported by government organisations. It explains how often people connected to the production of the film emphasized its authenticity, reportorial nature, and its realism.