2 hours, 37 minutes
Drama, 2012
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring
Jessica Chastain
Jason Clarke
Mark Strong
Jennifer Ehle
Kyle Chandler
James Gandolfini
Chris Pratt
Joel Edgarton
"You lie to me. I hurt you."
One thing intrigues me about Zero Dark Thirty: When it was first announced that bin Laden was killed and details of the raid were released, people talked quite a bit about it. And people ran through scenarios in their heads, imagining what it must've been like to be one of those Seals. But what I don't think everyone went through was what it took just to get to that point. It took a hell of a lot more than just a raid.
Zero Dark Thirty tells that story.
Before I spotted any advance reviews, the first thing I heard about Zero Dark Thirty was that it won a bunch of prestigious critics circle awards from various cities. I was already pretty interested, seeing as it's from the same team who did The Hurt Locker, but now I was intrigued.
After waiting for fucking weeks to see it, I'm very happy to say that Zero Dark Thirty is easily one of the best movies of 2012. Is it the best overall? I don't know quite yet. Lets dive in.
For those unaware, the film is about the manhunt for Osama bin Laden, but it should not be mistaken for some kind of documentary or soft drama. It's intense. Like, really fucking intense. The movie starts out with some good 'ol fashioned water-boarding and some other forms of torture for all of you to grimace at.
This is not a movie for the faint of heart, I'll say that right now.
While the first act is mostly torture, it quickly moves into what feels like a journalism thriller (think All the President's Men) with Maya (played perfectly by Jessica Chastain) moving as fast and as ruthlessly as humanly possible toward her target, and she doesn't let anything stop her. Even constant threats on her life.
The movie is simply very well put together. It's well written with fine performances by standouts and sure Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain and Jason Clarke. While many see the Seals in the trailer, their time onscreen is purely limited to the raid itself, which encompasses the entire last act of the film. And holy shit, it's easily the most intense part of the entire feature.
Overall, Zero Dark Thirty is one of the best movies of the year. It's very well put together, true storytelling at it's finest. I don't give a fuck about if the CIA says its bullshit, it's a fucking great movie. Looking back at great American dramas this year like Argo and Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty might just be the best.
Believe the hype.
9.4/10
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