Zero Dark Thirty Review

Rated R (Strong Violence including Brutal Disturbing Images, and for Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 37 Minutes

Cast-

Jessica Chastain-Maya

Jason Clarke-Dan

Kyle Chandler-Joseph Bradley

Jennifer Ehle-Jessica

Harold Perrineau-Jack

Édgar Ramírez-Larry

Mark Duplass-Steve

Mark Strong-George

Joel Edgerton-Patrick (Squadron Team Leader)

Chris Pratt-Justin (DEVGRU)

James Gandolfini-CIA Director Leon Panetta

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow

This is the face of the woman who killed Osama bin Laden.

September 11, 2001. It was a day like any other but the world instantly became a more dangerous place when American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were hijacked by terrorists belonging to the Islamist militant group Al-Qaeda, who deliberately crashed both planes into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in the heart of New York City. Both towers collapsed within two hours; in addition, the hijackers also crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia but United Airlines Flight 93 failed to reach its target (believed to have been the United States Capital building) thanks to the heroic actions of the passengers, who attempted to retake control of the plane. 2996 people perished on that day. When the attack happened, my twelve-year-old self was sitting in English class at I.S. 187. The nineteen hijackers were quickly linked to Al-Qaeda but it wasn't until 2004 that the group's founder, Osama bin Laden, claimed responsibility in a taped statement. 9/11 marked the end of American dominance and a pervading sense of cynicism has gripped the country (and the world) since that terrible day, reflected not only in our politics but also in our society and culture as well. In 2009, director Kathryn Bigelow, working with journalist-turned-screenwriter Mark Boal, released "The Hurt Locker" to near-universal acclaim (97% on Rotten Tomatoes). Set during the Iraq War, the film follows a three-man Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and examines that war may demoralize most people but for others, 'the rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug' (from 2002's War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges). Proving that her 2010 Academy Award win for Best Director was no fluke, Bigelow's latest film, "Zero Dark Thirty," is a tautly paced, captivating, and disturbing look at America's decade-long manhunt for bin Laden. Anchored by a superb performance from a stoic Jessica Chastain, it's still too soon to name it the best film of 2012 but it certainly ranks among the Top Five. 

Two years after 9/11, a rookie CIA agent named Maya (Jessica Chastain) is sent to a 'black site' located at an undisclosed location in Pakistan to aid in the search for Osama bin Laden. Her first day on the job is spent observing fellow agent Dan (Jason Clarke) as he brutally interrogates a suspect named Ammar (Reda Kateb), who is believed to have information on one of bin Laden's couriers. Burnt out, Dan soon returns to Langley, Virginia to take a desk job while Maya's supervisor, Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), is made a scapegoat when the agency's use of torture techniques is made public. Left as the only senior agent on the mission, Maya spends the next eight years chasing down every lead and piece of intelligence as her hunt for bin Laden turns into an all-consuming obsession. 

'I'm gonna smoke everybody involved in this op. And then I'm gonna kill bin Laden,' Maya coldly remarks in the aftermath of the Camp Chapman suicide attack that left nine dead, seven of them CIA officers. Initially, Bigelow and Boal wanted to make a film that focused on the 2001 Battle of Tora Bora, which took place in a cave complex situated in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan, near the Khyber Pass. Bin Laden was suspected to be hiding out there but the U.S.-led coalition forces failed to capture or kill him. The news of SEAL Team Six's successful raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011 prompted the filmmakers to start from scratch just when production was about to begin but much of the research already done still applied. "Zero Dark Thirty" opens in complete silence; the title card reveals the date, September 11, 2001, over a black screen. Frantic radio transmissions and 911 phone calls are heard for a few minutes before it cuts to Dan torturing captured terrorist Ammar for information while a masked figure watches. It's a brutal scene that has Ammar being waterboarded yet he refuses to talk, defiantly asserting that 'jihad will go on for a hundred years.' A cavalier Dan explains that 'in the end, bro, everybody breaks. Its biology.' When I first heard that a film about the hunt for bin Laden was being made, I feared that it would be little more than a propaganda piece espousing the gung-ho 'heroics' of America (like February's "Act of Valor") but "Zero Dark Thirty" is set on a different battlefield, one that takes no sides and is defined by moral ambiguity. An impersonal behind-the-scenes look at the decade-long effort to capture bin Laden, Bigelow creates a heightened sense of realism and although you are aware of some embellishments, the verisimilitude in the film is nothing short of astounding. 

Despite the 2 hour and 37 minute running time, no scene feels wasted thanks to its taut pacing, with Bigelow managing to wring quite a lot of suspense even when we already know how it all ends. At the center of the film's story (divided into chapters) is Maya and while we know that she was recruited to the CIA straight out of high school and that she is willing to do whatever it takes to find bin Laden, the character remains a mystery. When a co-worker asks her if she has any friends, Maya remains silent. Arriving in Pakistan in 2003 at an undisclosed 'black site,' Maya is visibly uncomfortable as she observes Dan torturing Ammar. The sleep-deprived and humiliated terrorist begs her to help him but a shaken Maya regains her composure and icily replies, 'You can help yourself by being truthful.' Throughout her eight-year search for Al-Qaeda's leader, Maya slowly grows from a green CIA agent into a force of nature, a female Captain Ahab defined only by her obsession. It presents an interesting dichotomy of how women are perceived in the work place and in some ways the character is a stand-in for Bigelow herself. "Zero Dark Thirty" remains neutral on whether America's actions were justified and this is evident during the last thirty minutes when we are finally treated to SEAL Team Six's raid on bin Laden's fortified compound. This is the film at its most tense, as we see the soldiers (through their green-tinted night vision goggles) taking out bin Laden's men with extreme cold precision. If any of the women get in the way, they are shot as well. There is no music and the only sound is the short burst fire of the soldiers' assault rifles. Although one of the Navy SEAL's is ecstatic over the mission's success, there is no celebration held. As the camera pans close to Maya's tearful face, there are only two questions left to ask: what's next and was it all worth it? 

There are a lot of familiar faces in the film's cast but this is entirely Jessica Chastain's show and she is just excellent. No amount of praise can do justice to her forceful performance. Maya's uncompromising determination, despite the doubts of her superiors, is what makes the film so riveting to watch. To dominate the screen and yet know so little about her is a testament to Chastain's talent. It's a foregone conclusion that she'll garner a nomination at next year's Academy Awards but she doesn't need to win; in my eyes, she is already the best actress. Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle and Harold Perrineau make the most of their minor roles while Mark Strong delivers in a tense boardroom conference that has him screaming to his agents at their failure to turn up any worthy intelligence. He shouts, 'I want targets! Do your f*cking job. Give me something to kill!' Mark Duplass also pops up to add some dry humor as an analyst. Rounding out the cast is Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt as members of SEAL Team Six. 

In limited release since December 19, 2012 (wide release on January 11, 2013), "Zero Dark Thirty" has received near-universal acclaim (like "The Hurt Locker") with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as 'gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted…with intelligence and an eye for detail.' However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the film as some have accused the Obama Administration with leaking classified information but it is the torture scenes that have been garnering the most attention. In no way is Bigelow promoting torture; she instead uses it to show how the country occupied a very dark place after 9/11. To think that torture wasn't used is a naïve belief among the film's detractors. All this publicity has generated even more interest and it has already earned an impressive $229,012 at only five theaters. "Zero Dark Thirty" is an important film, one that is unafraid to ask the hard questions and hold a mirror in front of America. As the children caught in the raid loudly weep over bin Laden's dead body, you can't help but wonder if we're just perpetuating a vicious cycle.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"I'm gonna smoke everybody involved in this op. And then I'm gonna kill bin Laden."