The Hurt Locker (2008)

Jeremy Renner: Staff Sergeant William James

Photos 

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Quotes 

• Staff Sergeant William James : [Speaking to his son]  You love playing with that. You love playing with all your stuffed animals. You love your mommy, your daddy, your nature pajamas. You love everything, don't ya? Yeah. But you know what, buddy? As you get older... some of the things that you love might not seem so special anymore, you know? Like your Jack-in-a-Box. Maybe you'll realize it's just a piece of tin and a stuffed animal, but the older you get, the fewer things you really love, and by the time you get to my age, maybe it's only one or two things. With me, I think it's one.

• Colonel Reed : You the guy in the flaming car, Sergeant James?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Afternoon, sir. Uh... uh, yes, sir.

  Colonel Reed : Well, that's just hot shit. You're a wild man, you know that?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Uh, yes, sir.

  Colonel Reed : He's a wild man. You know that? I want to shake your hand.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Thank you, sir.

  Colonel Reed : Yeah. How many bombs have you disarmed?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Uh, I'm-I'm not quite sure.

  Colonel Reed : Sergeant?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Yes, sir.

  Colonel Reed : I asked you a question.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Eight hundred seventy-three, sir.

  Colonel Reed : Eight hundred... and seventy-three! Eight hundred... and seventy-three. That's just hot shit. Eight hundred and seventy-three.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Counting today, sir, yes.

  Colonel Reed : That's gotta be a record. What's the best way... to... to go about disarming one of these things?

  Staff Sergeant William James : The way you don't die, sir.

  Colonel Reed : That's a good one. That's spoken like a wild man. That's good.

• Staff Sergeant William James : There's enough bang in there to send us all to Jesus. I'm gonna die, I wanna die comfortable.

• Sergeant JT Sanborn : I'm not ready to die, James.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Well, you're not gonna die out here, bro.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : Another two inches, shrapnel zings by, slices my throat, I bleed out like a pig in the sand. Nobody'll give a shit. I mean my parents - they care - but they don't count, man. Who else? I don't even have a son.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Well, you're gonna have plenty of time for that, amigo.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : Naw, man.

  Staff Sergeant William James : You know?

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : I'm done. I want a son. I want a little boy, Will. I mean, how do you do it, you know? Take the risk?

  Staff Sergeant William James : I-I don't know. I mean, I just, uh... I guess I don't think about it.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : Every time we go out, it's life or death. You roll the dice. You recognize that, don't you?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Yeah-yeah... Yeah, I do, but I don't know why, you know? Yeah...

  Staff Sergeant William James : [sighs]  I don't know, JT. You know why, you know... I'm the way I am?

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : No, I don't.

• Staff Sergeant William James : This box is full of stuff that almost killed me.

• Contractor Team Leader : We have a flat tire. Can you help us?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Sure, yeah. You got any spares?

  Contractor Team Leader : Well, we have spares, but we used up our wrench.

  Staff Sergeant William James : How do you use up a wrench?

  Contractor Team Leader : Well, the, uh... , the guy over there with the red thing on his head, he threw it at someone.

  Staff Sergeant William James : [laughs]  All right.

  [gives thumbs up to Eldridge] 

  Contractor Team Leader : Thank you.

  [introduces the soldiers] 

  Contractor Team Leader : This Chris. This is the wrench man.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Hello, Wrench Man.

  Contractor Team Leader : That's Jimmy.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : You know you can shoot people here. You don't have to throw a wrench.

  Contractor Feisal : Fuck off!

• Guard at Liberty Gate : [after catching James coming back into the camp after having snuck out]  What the fuck are you doing?

  Staff Sergeant William James : I was in a whorehouse.

  Guard at Liberty Gate : All right. If I let you in, will you tell me where it is exactly?

• Staff Sergeant William James : Well, everyone's a coward about something, you know?

• Sergeant JT Sanborn : [looking at a photo from Will's box]  Who's that?

  Staff Sergeant William James : That's my son. He's ' tough little bastard. Nothin' like me.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : You mean to tell me you married?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Well, you know, I had a girlfriend and, uh, she got pregnant, so we got married, and we got divorced... or, you know, I thought we got divorced. I mean, she's still living in the house and she says we're still together, so I... I don't know. Wha-what does... what does that make her? I don't know.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : Dumb... for still being with your ass.

  [laughs] 

  Staff Sergeant William James : [kicks at Sanborn]  Hey! She ain't fucking dumb, all right? She's just loyal. She's just loyal, that's all.

• Sergeant JT Sanborn : Maybe you shouldn't take this down. You know, we get a lot of mortars at night. You know, the plywood on the windows help with the lateral frag coming through. That's why it's up dere.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Yeah, well, it's not going to stop a mortar round from coming in through the roof, you know. Besides, I like the sunshine.

• Staff Sergeant William James : I'm too old for this shit.

• Staff Sergeant William James : [to Iraqi street kid]  I'm gonna buy another DVD, okay? But... if it's shaky - look at me - or out of focus, or any way not 100%, I'm gonna chop off your goddamn head with a dull knife. How do you feel about... I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.

  [hands him his money] 

  Staff Sergeant William James : Here. You're a good kid.

  [hugging kid's head] 

  Staff Sergeant William James : You're a good kid, aren't ya?

• Staff Sergeant William James : I want my five bucks back, buddy.

  Beckham : Five dollars for what, man? You crazy now?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Yeah. The DVD you sold me was crap.

  Beckham : You crazy, man. That's impossible. It's Hollywood special effects.

  Staff Sergeant William James : No. It was shaky. It was out of focus, buddy.

  Beckham : What, you want donkey porn?

  Staff Sergeant William James : It's crap.

  Beckham : Girls on dog? Gay sex, man? Anything you want, you get. I hook you up, man.

• Staff Sergeant William James : You'll get it, though. You'll get it.

• Sergeant JT Sanborn : Welcome to Bravo Company. Welcome to Camp Victory.

  Staff Sergeant William James : Ah, Camp Victory? I thought this was Camp Liberty.

  Sergeant JT Sanborn : Ah, no, they changed that about a week ago. 'Victory' sound' better.

  Staff Sergeant William James : All right. Well, good. At least we're in the right place, right?

• Staff Sergeant William James : I want my five bucks back, buddy.

  Black Suit Man : Five dollars for what, man? You crazy now?

  Staff Sergeant William James : Yeah. The DVD you sold me was crap.

  Black Suit Man : You crazy, man. That's impossible. It's Hollywood special effects.

  Staff Sergeant William James : No. It was shaky. It was out of focus, buddy.

  Black Suit Man : What, you want donkey porn?

  Staff Sergeant William James : It's crap.

  Black Suit Man : Girls on dog? Gay sex, man? Anything you want, you get. I hook you up, man.