As Sgt. William James, a bomb disposal tech who juggles explosives that could turn him into a red mist, Jeremy Renner delivers the kind of brass and cool to make the war's most dangerous job look like fun — if you're an insane adrenaline junkie.
Starring in "The Hurt Locker," Renner's character is introduced after an opening scene that cranks tension to the snapping point. Then Renner kicks it up a notch.
The movie, which opens Friday in Atlanta, was filmed in Jordan, using four lightweight hand-held cameras. It is a documentarylike treatment of the intense pressure on the teams of soldiers who work to defuse the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) that have killed most of the Americans lost in Iraq.
Part of that feel was hard-earned. The desert and cities in Jordan were punishingly hot. Renner spent much of his time on location wearing a 70-pound Kevlar suit similar to the elaborate armor that EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) techs use, which was like putting on a fur coat in the 125-degree desert heat.
He also spent time with actual EOD soldiers, whose armor weighs a lot more.
During a recent conversation at the W Hotel in Buckhead, Renner, a lithe 5 feet 10 and 165 pounds, looked comfortably chill, dressed in a black muscle T, silky gray slacks and bowling shoes. The Modesto, Calif., native sipped a diet soda and spoke of trying not to faint on set.
Q. How did you like the suit?
A. It was a love-hate relationship I had with that suit. I really did love it. But some days it felt like, "OK punch me in the face."
Q. How did you prepare for it?
A. How do you get ready to get punched in the face? I don't know, get kicked in the [privates]?
Q. How hot was it in the suit?
A. Who knew? You don't think about how hot it is. The question is how long you can stand it without fainting? You can't stand it long. The EODs would stay in it for four hours. It's not good to stay in it that long because brain cells die.
Q. Did you pass out?
A. No. (Then Renner takes a beat) My soul left my BODY — I was looking down, seeing myself, wondering what is he doing down there — but I didn't pass out.
Q. What were the EOD soldiers like?
A. I had so much respect for them before I went over. Then going through the actions and emotions, then to see the movie all put together, goddamn, they really impress me. I hope they're happy. I don't care if America hates the movie as long as they like it.
Q. What scares the soldiers?
A. They're not so fearful of the IEDs, the thing that can vaporize you. They're more worried about the time on target (time spent defusing a bomb), because the longer you are there, the more opportunity you have to get shot.
Q. How did you get in shape for the project?
A. Some [soldiers] I trained with were in awful shape. One fellow in particular, he'd been through four tours, he was awkward socially, no sense of humor, he had this big belly. I thought, "That's no soldier." But he was the toughest of them all. They all had this mental toughness.
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