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."
Posts
