49 - "The Hurt Locker" (2008)

     In 2009, while James Cameron's Avatar was on it's way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, a small movie directed by his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, was winning the affection of many critics and people who were taking the chance on this film. The Hurt Locker ended up slaying the Avatar competition at the Academy Awards, winning 6 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Bigelow. The Hurt Locker tells the story of Sergeant First Class William James, played exceptionally well by Jeremy Renner. James serves with Army in present-day Iraq and is a member of the Army Explosive Ordnance Detail, or you could just call it the bomb squad since basically that is what they are. James, and his two partners Sgt. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), are dispatched to areas where explosive devices are believed to be hidden and are targeted at coalition forces on the ground. Sanborn and Eldridge are soldiers who like to play by the book and are very careful about everything, but James is reckless and will go after a bomb without waiting for backup and sometimes without his gear on. This causes a lot of tension between he and his partners. The Hurt Locker hurls us from one harrowing scene after the other and only in brief spurts do we get a chance to catch our breath. The tension in this film just keeps ratcheting up all the way to the end. Renner received an Oscar nomination for his role (and should have won) and he is definitely the highlight of this movie from an acting standpoint. But this is a director's picture and Kathryn Bigelow was well deserving to be the first female Best Director recipient. If you missed this movie the first time around, be sure to catch it some time. One of the best movies of the new century and should remain that way for some time.