Riveting and disarming in equal measure, acclaimed director Katheryn Bigelow proves that she has a penchant for crafting compelling war films with The Hurt Locker, which surpasses on every account the standard set by 2002's K-19: The Widowmaker.

Using documentary like hand-held cameras - expertly handled by Barry Ackroyd - to inject a healthy dose of realism and attention to detail into proceedings, the film follows the last month or thereabouts in the life of the members of the elite bomb disposal squad within the US army's Bravo regiment stationed in Baghdad,Iraq.

The action is kept taut and perilously close to the ground as the members cheat death with every wire that they snap. The barren, unforgiving territory and piercing stares of the locals combine to immerse the soldiers into a cauldron of tension. When you're unsure if the next move you make is going to rattle the ground beneath your feet and even a cursory glance over the horizon could have you making eye contact with adversaries that hide behind expressionless faces, you're battling yourself from within just as much as fighting a war outside. And this undertow of guilt and insecurity amidst supposed bravado is conveyed perfectly by an ensemble cast in which celebrated faces Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce play second fiddle to the winsome triumvirate of Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty.

The Hurt Locker offers the most comprehensive vicarious experience of ground combat in the context urban warfare, an achievement that even actual documentaries dealing with the subject will struggle to emulate.