After a six-year absence from the big screen, Kathryn Bigelow returns with "The Hurt Locker," a drama about the dangerous work of an elite Army bomb squad in Iraq. Starring Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Sam Reford and Jeremy Renner, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week. Here's what the press is saying about the film:

• Shane Danielsen at Times Online: "Like the men it depicts, 'The Hurt Locker' never rises above its own limitations."

• Deborah Young at The Hollywood Reporter: "For a film purporting to be about soldiers' psychology, 'The Hurt Locker' makes little in-depth analysis of its characters."

• Variety's Derek Elley: "The major problem with the script by journalist Mark Boal, who was embedded with a bomb squad in Baghdad four years ago, is that it's unclear where the drama in 'Locker' really lies."

• Richard Corliss at Time: "The appearances by some familiar faces — Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse — are all too brief."