Zero Dark Thirty

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Dec 19, 2012 By John Oursler Web Exclusive

A foregone conclusion has never been more mysteriously rendered than in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty. Like Bigelow’s Best Picture-winning The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty similarly leaves politics aside to look at the behind-the-scenes story of one person’s mission to serve their country in a most unflinching way.

Maya, played by Jessica Chastain, is the film’s definitive lead as a CIA agent on a singular mission to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. A stellar ensemble includes James Gandolfini, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clark, and Jennifer Ehle as various CIA operatives supporting Maya on her journey for justice. Bigelow directs with an unwavering attention to pace and detail, as every scene builds upon the next, creating an atmosphere so tense that the eventual outcome is less important than the means by which it is achieved.

The enormity of the film’s 10-year hunt is expertly crafted, as aspects of military intelligence that may now seem rote to American audiences, such as gathering information, vetting sources, and interrogating potential witnesses become manifest in such a distinct way that the film seems more suspenseful than it has a right to be. Though it is clear that Maya operates in a predominantly male world, gender remains almost entirely absent from this telling. Chastain carries the film on her shoulders with mighty force, as Zero Dark Thirty easily claims the place as best American film of the year.

(www.zerodarkthirty-movie.com)

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