I've been reading a lot of the comments on this website from people and I don't understand what they are coming from. Calling it overrated and inaccurate. Don't believe a word. All the awards, honors, #1 spots The Hurt Locker has gotten, it deserves it.
The film explores the clichéd "War is hell" approach, but in a totally different way. We explore our characters and they do act like many army men. Anthony Mackie as Sergeant Sanborn is the normal army man who shows no emotion until the film ends. Brian Geraghty as Specialist Eldridge is the kind of army man who questions about what's going on there. The only one different from the pack is Jeremy Renner as Sergeant James. He's an adrenaline junkie, and he plays his character so well. He definitely deserved his Oscar nomination.
The direction is so good as well. The way this film was shot is like you are there, in the action, experiencing what the characters are experiencing. The film taps into humanitarianism.
I also really enjoyed the cameos from Guy Pearce, David Morse, and Ralph Fiennes. I know some people have complained about this, saying they didn't have enough time, but they're cameos. That's why they are so short.
Many films have been made about the War in Iraq...very few have been as good as The Hurt Locker. Overall, in my opinion, this was the best film of the year and one of the best films possibly ever.