Opening Scene of the Hurt Locker

The opening scene to Hurt Locker goes out to set the tone for the remainder of the movie. It starts by showing us the soldiers which the story centers around.

This means that the opening scene to Hurt Locker starts off in a non-linear narrative, meaning that it has started in a different part of the film that you would expect. In the case of the Hurt Locker, it starts off in the middle of the story of the men within the movie.

We are put into a false sense of security due to the costumes of these men. They are members of the American Army and so this would put the audience immediately on edge, expecting something bad to happen to them within the film. Cosmetics within the film make the men seem hard working, hot, sweaty and stressed to make the audience seem sympathetic toward the soldiers and give them the feeling that something is almost about to happen to the soldiers.

There is not much sound in the opening scenes of the film although there is plenty of diegetic sound where we can hear the heavy breathing of the soldiers suggesting that they are exhausted. We can also hear every step as the soldiers heavy boots crunch the surface.


The amount of special effects in the opening scenes were limited although there was one when the bomb exploded. The explosion was views in a variety of angles to show the sheer amount of force and energy given from the bomb.