The Hurt Locker

Director Kathryn Bigelow delivers a different sort of action picture with this thriller about a bomb squad in Iraq that gets a new leader in Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), a man prone to taking big risks. Renner is riveting as a man who is totally crazy at one moment, and totally levelheaded the next. The film is packed with tension; watching James diffuse bombs will boost your blood pressure. Renner has been around for a while, but this Oscar-nominated performance put him on the map. This is a harrowing picture, all the more disturbing because it’s based on a war being waged right now.