As I watched The Hurt Locker I noticed that the main character looked really familiar but I couldn't put money on where. It just wouldn't come to me. So finally I went to that bastion of relief IMDB.com and looked him up. I seem to remember actors from random places like a commercial here, or a guest spot on The Equalizer there, but sometimes actors are so memorable in a role that what else can you do?

I looked at Jeremy Renner's rez and lo and behold he played Doyle in 28 Weeks Later. I really enjoyed the blank stare intensity he brought to that role. I believed he was a conflicted sniper. But back to the review... Renner plays Staff Sgt. James, newly transferred head of a bomb disposal unit in Iraq. The original leader has just been K.I.A. during a routine disposal call. If you're not familiar with the perils of IEDs then take a look here. This sequence is unexpected and gripping.

Make no mistake, this is no In the Valley of Elah type emotional hand-wringing. This is a straight up pulse-pounding thriller that details the emotional inner life of men whose job it is to dispose of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in Iraq. This is a tense film that actually deserves the words tense and pulse pounding. When I left the theater I had to take a deep breath and let my stomach untangle from all the knots it was in.

The acting is superb, literally littered with blink and you miss them nuggets by actors of note like Guy Pearce, David Morse and Ralph Finnes. Job well done goes to Anthony Mackie who continues his quest to be his own actor, and hello to Brian Geraghty who plays hte third in this grim trio. I love it when actors with chops as they say, act and don't play the hero, it allows the viewer to enjoy their talent without the distraction of having to root for them. I have a list of at least a dozen roles like this. I will post the in the future though.

I really recommend this film and hope that Katheryn Bigelow not only gets her due with an Oscar nomination but also gets to make more films sooner rather than later. She really knows how to keep her audience riveted to the edge of their seat. Catch it.