H is for The Hurt Locker
Bigelow’s Oscar winner was made under the radar, for a tiny budget and in tough, hot conditions to guarantee the authenticity of its account of the Iraq War and its bomb disposal teams.
I is for “I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.”
Bigelow knows that female directors are few and far between, but has always refused to let prejudice stand in her way – as this quote explains. She’s living proof that women can make great action movies.
J is for journalistic style
In her latest three films in particular, Bigelow has modelled her stories closely on real life. The Hurt Locker, for example, was born from screenwriter Mark Boal’s experiences embedded with real troops.
K is for K-19: The Widowmaker
An often-overlooked Bigelow film, K-19 is a sweaty, seriously tense account of nuclear disaster aboard a Russian sub at the height of the Cold War, with Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson as the men in charge.
L is for The Loveless
Bigelow’s first feature, co-directed with a fellow film student, is a thoughtful, sparse look at a biker gang rolling into a small town. It was also the first film for Willem Dafoe, and helped him land his first big hit.
M is for Mark Boal
Boal, a former journalist, has written Bigelow’s last three features: The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Detroit. They share a commitment to research, realism and tough subject matter.
Rent Zero Dark Thirty on Virgin Movies. Cert 15
N is for Near Dark
The film that really made Bigelow’s name is a vampire Western, featuring half the cast of Aliens as bloodsucking drifters – and it’s one of the best roles ever for the late, great Bill Paxton.