

The film grossed $49.2 million worldwide. It was the first Best Picture winner to have been directed by a woman. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The film earned acclaim from critics, who praised Bigelow's directing, Renner's performance, Boal's screenplay, editing, cinematography, sound design and action sequences.

The Hurt Locker premiered at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before it was released in the United States on June 26, 2009, by Summit Entertainment. Boal drew on his experience during embedded access to write the screenplay. The film follows an Iraq War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who are targeted by insurgents and shows their psychological reactions to the stress of combat. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. The Hurt Locker is a 2008 American war thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal.
