MOVIE REVIEW: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Ten years ago, Kathryn Bigelow was known for some cult horror films, big-budget flops, Point Break, and being the ex-wife of James Cameron. In 2009, she sent Hollywood afire with the Iraq war-themed Hurt Locker, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and giving her the distinction of being the first woman to win Best Director - both prizes were even lost by her ex, Cameron, for his work on the ambitious, sci-fi epic Avatar. Three years later, followed by lots of research and ensuing controversy, Bigelow returns with Zero Dark Thirty, an incendiary account of the CIA agent who spent ten years locating the hideout of the new millennium terrorist-at-large, Osama Bin Laden, and the ensuing Navy SEAL operation.

Zero Dark Thirty opens up with a black tableau, solely portraying audio of the 9/11 attacks. Two years later, rookie CIA agent, only known to the audience as "Maya," is brought in to assist with the interrogation of a terrorist, but questions the ethics in which her supervisor handles the punishment. Jessica Chastain delivers a wonderful performance that evokes memories of watching Sigourney Weaver and Jodie Foster in their landmark, '80s roles. As Maya works her way through the annals of CIA information, we are treated to a mystery that unravels like a ball of yarn over the course of two-and-a-half-hours. The investigation begins to visibly affect Maya's social relationships - colleagues are killed, bridges are burnt. She also struggles to convince her male superiors of a huge lead discovered in Pakistan - likely Bigelow's subtle attempt at injecting a strong feminist theme. Eventually, once the writing's on the wall, the story shifts to the fateful SEAL Operation, and becomes the most tense thirty minutes I've seen in a film, yet so far.

In many ways, Zero Dark Thirty is like the "sister" film to it's "brother" Hurt Locker; both explore themes of committed government employees who bear huge responsibilities at the sacrifice of a normal life and a job that constantly challenges their emotions and personal morals. It's no question that Bigelow is a pro at this sort of drama; all the while presenting it in a straightforward, docudrama-like format that evokes the early works of Scorsese. For many, Zero will be a hard pill to swallow - it's a long movie that runs at a brisk pace, but is saturated in Pro-Americanism (warts and all) and entertaining to at the very least, spy film aficionados and political buffs (in other words, my grandmother would be bored or repulsed out of her mind). Regardless, this is living history on celluloid. The controversy regarding the sources where screenwriter Mark Boal drew his sources from may have neutered it's Oscar chances, but it's an important film, and certainly one of the year's best.

9/10

Peace.