In The Hurt Locker, which actor plays bomb-disposal specialist William James?

Jeremy Renner plays bomb-disposal specialist William James in The Hurt Locker.

Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 film follows a United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team during the Iraq War. James arrives as the team’s new sergeant and takes extraordinary risks while attempting to neutralize improvised explosive devices. His methods create friction with Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, played by Anthony Mackie, and Specialist Owen Eldridge, played by Brian Geraghty.

The film concentrates on suspense, routine danger, and the psychological effects of repeated exposure to combat. It is not a literal documentary of one unit, and some procedures and incidents were dramatized for the story. Nevertheless, its focus on bomb technicians reflects a central danger of the Iraq conflict, where improvised devices were widely used against military and civilian targets. Renner received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, while Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director.