5 War Movies That Real Veterans Hated (And 5 They Approve Of)

4. The Hurt Locker

2008's The Hurt Locker is another highly regarded war film to have been decorated with a plethora of accolades. Producer/Director Kathryn Bigelow went to tremendous efforts to give the film a sense of unparalleled authenticity, even going so far as to take her crew within miles of the Iraqi border to film scenes. In fact, she actually wanted to film in Iraq itself, and would have done if it hadn't been for the production security team being unable to guarantee her safety from snipers. It is perhaps surprising, then, that the film has caused more outcry from veterans than almost any other war film of recent years. The trouble is that despite the very real atmosphere and visuals, the way that the soldiers behave in The Hurt Locker is completely unbelievable. Infantryman Alex Horton, himself an Iraq veteran, said "the way the team goes about their missions is completely absurd," no doubt in reference to the idea that bomb disposal teams are depicting as conducting highly dangerous missions completely alone. In a style worryingly reminiscent of Pearl Harbor, the heroes in this film seem to be single-handedly winning the war. Concerns were also expressed of the way that lead character Sergeant James is glorified as a "run and gun cowboy type", a style of character that would be entirely unwelcome in a real combat unit. But assuming the audience knows nothing of military accuracy, The Hurt Locker is once again an outstanding - if questionable - action film. Enjoy it, just don't believe it.