Overall Rating: 94.6
"Zero Dark Thirty", Kathryn Bigelow's drama detailing the world-wide manhunt for Osama bin Laden, jumps out at you from the very beginning and leaves you as one of the most intense, edge of your seat movie experiences of this generation.
To call this film an emotional ride is an understatement. From the second the theater goes black, you hear 911 calls from the World Trade Center on 9/11, reminding you just what this manhunt that led to the ultimate finale was really all about. From there, you're immediately thrown into the torture chamber....literally. A lot has been made in the news about the torture scenes in the film, but as a viewer, they were a necessary uncomfortableness. As the lead investigator Dan in the detainment camps, Jason Clarke comes across as one of the most memorable characters of the film. His no nonsense, brutal honesty in relating to terror suspects is exactly what you would expect out of a CIA agent less than 2 years after 9/11.
Then there's Maya (Chastain). When we first meet Maya, this beautiful, smooth skinned redhead, we expect her to be the conscience of the film, but her motives are the same and her lust for vengeance only grows as the movie goes along. Chastain's performance is nothing short of powerful. The pure emotion pours out when needed, and stoic emotionless expressions overcome her when appropriate.
The score to a movie like this can be essential to setting the mood, and Alexandre Desplat shines through beautifully. It's his modesty in crafting the perfect sound for each scene that makes his score stand out. At moments where you expect a grand percussion to take your heart away, there is silence. His ability to stand back and let the action unfold without any accompaniment helps keep the illusion that what you are watching is a documentary, not a Hollywood blockbuster.
Admittedly, there are times where the bureaucratic scenes can slow the pace, but there's always an end-game in play. Being historically accurate (as much as one can imagine), everyone in the theater knows how the film is going to end. Despite that, Bigelow manages to create 30 of the most gripping, heart-racing moments ever put to film. From the moment the announcement was made about the death of bin Laden and details of the raid began to come out, every human that heard those stories began playing them back in their head, trying to imagine what that scene may have looked like. Through Bigelow's eyes, it was a team of highly trained professionals executing a mission, in the most complex situation with the most complex objective. And as that is played out on film, don't be surprised to find yourself holding your breath for a very, very long time.
After 2008's "The Hurt Locker", Kathryn Bigelow announced she was back with a vengeance. Teaming up again with writer/producer Mark Boal for "Zero Dark Thirty", she's proven that she is one of the premiere film makers of our time.
Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 10
Dialogue: 9
Acting: 9
Direction: 10
Audio/Visual: 10
