My Thoughts On Zero Dark Thirty

Earlier this week I went to see director Kathryn Bigelow's controversial war drama Zero Dark Thirty. As some question its accuracy, debate its depiction of torture and bemoan the "Best Director" Oscar snub....I found the film riveting. A thought provoking and compelling motion picture that doesn't dumb things down for the audience

The story follows Maya (Jessica Chastain), a Central Intelligence Agency officer, who has spent her entire tenure focusing solely on intelligence related to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11th attacks. She has just been reassigned to work with fellow officer Dan (Jason Clarke) at the U.S. embassy in Pakistan. During the first few months of her assignment, she often accompanies Dan to a black site for his ongoing interrogation of Ammar (Reda Kateb), a detainee with ties to several Saudi terrorists. Dan subjects him to torture and humiliation, including waterboarding.

He and Maya eventually trick Ammar into divulging an old acquaintance using the alias 'Abu Ahmed' who is working as a personal courier for bin Laden. Other detainees corroborate this, with some claiming he delivers messages between bin Laden and Abu Faraj al-Libbi (Yoav Levi). In mid-2005, Abu Faraj is apprehended by the CIA and local police in Pakistan. Maya interrogates Abu Faraj and has him tortured, but he continues to deny knowing a courier with such a name. Maya interprets this as Abu Faraj trying to conceal the true importance of Abu Ahmed.

As the investigation brings Maya closer to finding bin Laden her superior Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler) thinks her leads are running cold,,.

Writer Mark Boal extensively researched the film which centers on an elite Black Ops team's attempt to assassinate Osama bin Laden  for a decade. His death in 2011 meant a few rewrites to the final act. The film devotes about 20 minutes to showing torture but it steers clear of an endorsement or condemnation of the policy---treating it as historical fact--a tool to elicit info from our enemies--Looked at within that context I find the protests about that aspect of the movie to be unwarranted.

"Thirty" is in the purest sense a procedural of how we found bin Laden with its final 40 minutes devoted to the Seal Team Six mission and killing of the terrorist leader.

I have heard some complain that the film is too technical and talk heavy and as a result is kinda boring--I say No Way! Chastain gives a great performance as Maya. She carries the film with an affecting weight, covering a wide range of emotions holding her own throughout amid some tough dialogue. Clarke is just superb as Dan. This is hands down his best performance to date. Chandler is sturdy as the boss.

Bigelow draws you in and never lets go by letting the events speak for themselves as history unfolds. Some may have wanted the film to focus more on the final raid and less on how we got there--I think that showing all the talky stuff  Bigelow made the ending all the more satisfying--knowing all that it took to get us there finally--which in turn  put us in the position to get bin Laden.

Run, don't walk, to the theater to see Zero Dark Thirty.