The Hurt Locker is a 2008 American war film about a three-man United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb squad in Iraq. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay for Boal and Best Director for Bigelow.

The Hurt Locker premiered at the Venice Film Festival in Italy during 2008. After being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, it was picked up for distribution in the United States by Summit Entertainment. The film was released in the United States on June 26, 2009 but received a more widespread theatrical release on July 24, 2009.

Because the film was not originally released in the United States until 2009, it was eligible to be judged for the 82nd Academy Awards where it was nominated for nine Academy Awards. It won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Bigelow, the first woman to win this award. The Hurt Locker also earned numerous awards and honours from critics' organizations, festivals and groups, including six BAFTA Awards.