Welcome to a rare occurrence here on the blog. I will be reviewing the movie "Zero Dark Thirty", a movie which follows the lives of the people who try to capture and kill Osama Bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty stars Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Joel Edgerton and is directed Kathryn Bigelow. Zero Dark Thirty seems as if it is a nod to movies honoring old war films honoring victories over the Axis or the British in the struggle for independence which were made to celebrate our defeat of our enemies.
Zero Dark Thirty starts with a 911 call during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, reminding everyone why we started the decade long manhunt of Osama Bin Laden. For the rest of film we follow Jessica Chastain as Maya, a CIA agent assigned to find Osama Bin Laden. Since we all know the ending, I cannot say much more without giving all of the movie away. The cinematography is very graphic and shows huge landscapes and markets. I felt like I was actually in Pakistan unlike other movies about the mission which look like the outskirts of LA.
The film's acting is also very good, especially from Chastain who is nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. She portrays the obsessed FBI agent with dynamic and tone and she wrapped me in the illusion of the whole movie.
However, be warned. If torture and explosions are not your thing, this movie is not for you. Many scenes in Zero Dark Thirty are shown depicting water boarding, suicide bombings and violent Jihads with AK-47s. This is serious film, which is why it deserves an R-rating. However, I'm glad they left these parts in not for my need to see violence and pain but for an accurate view of the ten years it took to find Osama Bin Laden.
Another part to highly note is the raid on the compound, which is tense and exciting(So exciting some members of the audience started screaming "Yeah!" throughout the scene). Zero Dark Thirty as a whole is amazing. It was thought out and not only does it show the mission that took so long but the stress, pain, loss and determination the characters endure to find the world's most dangerous man Osama Bin Laden. Kathryn Bigelow does a fantastic job as director and is shows as the finished product is very tight and well made. As I said at the beginning, this film nods to old war movies and will one day take its place amongst American victory films. I can't tell if it's my American Patriotism, but I'm giving this movie a 9.5/10 stars.
What was your favorite part of the movie? Go see it and tell me in the comments below.
