In 2008 it was The Wrestler, in 2007 it was Once, in 2006 it was United 93… every year movie lovers are treated to a film of absolute brilliance that comes flying in from leftfield with hardly any fanfare and virtually no marketing budget and yet somehow still manages to worm its way into our hearts.

This year, we're gonna go out a limb and say that the best flick to come out-of-nowhere will be The Hurt Locker. Yes, we know it's quite a claim, particularly as we've not even seen the bleeding thing yet, but the buzz that's generating on the interweb, coupled with the impressive pedigree of cast and crew and the little snatches of footage that have been posted have us fully convinced.

The latest movie from Point Break/Near Dark director Kathryn Bigelow, it tells the tale of a bunch of US Army bomb disposal experts at work in the explosive-strewn streets of Iraq and, well that's about it, but it's done with such style and infused with such palpable tension that it'll have you ripping your armrests off for pretty much the entire running time.

Not convinced? Well, check out a clip over at Apple here and if you fancy a bit more you can check out the first palm-wetting eight minutes in the player below. Trust us, this movie will be amazing…

Glen Ferris