2008 Action Film Ranked Among 'Best War Movies Ever' Leaves Netflix Next Week

Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning war thriller The Hurt Locker will be disappearing from Netflix in the United States on March 31.

The film, originally released in 2008, follows a group of American soldiers during the Iraq War who are targeted by insurgents during a bomb disposal mission that puts all their lives on the line. It received widespread acclaim from critics for its strong performances, technical craftsmanship, and timely message about the brutality of war.

It was also ranked #11 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the greatest war movies ever made, just behind classics such as Das Boot and All Quiet on the Western Front.

The Hurt Locker was written by journalist Mark Boal, who drew from his experiences with embedded access in Iraq. He reported from the scenes of several armed conflicts, which has led The Hurt Locker to develop a reputation as one of the most authentic war films in recent memory.

The film stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, and Evangeline Lilly in a true ensemble that follows several characters during their time in Iraq. It has since become one of the most influential and topical films of its time, earning a place in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" (via Vulture).

The Hurt Locker was also a major success at the Academy Awards, receiving nine nominations and ultimately taking home six awards—including Best Picture. It was the first movie directed by a woman to win Best Picture, and Kathryn Bigelow became the first female recipient of the Best Director award.

The film was also a huge commercial success, pulling in $50 million worldwide against its reported budget of $15 million—more than tripling its budget at the box office. It was a massive accomplishment, especially for a film that was R-rated and released at the end of summer in most parts of the world.

"[The Hurt Locker] is probably one of the most important acting experiences I had,” Anthony Mackie once revealed to Variety. "We shot that in 2007, and I remember I was doing a movie in North Carolina with quite possibly the worst director to ever direct. Ironically, because of that the movie never came out [...] I went from this sucky director who had no business in being in the business or in the director’s chair to Kathryn Bigelow."

The Hurt Locker has been a clear inspiration for many other war films that followed, including Alex Garland's Warfare, Clint Eastwood's American Sniper, and Denis Villeneuve's Sicario. Its fingerprints can be traced all across the genre, proving that its Best Picture victory was a valuable one that's aged especially well.

The film is currently available to stream on Netflix in the United States—but only until March 31. Thereafter, The Hurt Locker will still be available on Fawesome TV, a free movie streaming platform.

Viewers can also rent or purchase the movie at home on any major VOD service, such as Apple TV or Prime Video.