Flash Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty
An image of my sister-in-law’s deceased cat came to mind while I was thinking about this movie I had just seen. If you had met TC in the house; he was an affectionate, sweet cat. But if you saw him outside; he was a cold, stealthy killer. The reason TC came to mind was due to watching Jessica Chastain (Lawless, Take Shelter) as CIA operative Maya in this tense dramatic movie. She was a slight wisp of a woman in a male dominated arena, whose single focused determination revealed her underlying strength. I found her performance to be one of her best. Since the September 2001 attacks, Maya’s only job was to find Osama Bin Laden. Her single-mindedness would push her to the gray areas of government policy. Whether this movie’s facts were true or not, it was the job of the director to take the story and make it believable to the viewer. In the case of this riveting movie about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Point Break) created a compelling experience. If you have read my explanation of my rating system; you know for me to award 4 stars to a movie, I have to be swept into the movie and leave my world’s reality behind. As I sat in my seat watching the movie; the sounds of crunching popcorn, the clinking of jostled ice cubes in cups of soda and the rustling of winter coats being squeezed into the back of the theater seats all turned into a hushed silence. My peripheral vision latched onto the edges of the movie screen and stretched them all the way beyond me. I had entered into Maya’s world. Because of the experience I just described, I awarded this movie 4 stars. The directing was brilliant; attaining rock solid performances from the actors. Too many to mention, I wanted to at least acknowledge a few of the competent actors such as Jason Clarke as Dan, Joel Edgerton as squadron team leader Patrick and Kyle Chandler as Joseph Bradley. Everything you have heard about this movie is true; it easily could be the frontrunner for this year’s Oscar awards. Brief scenes with blood.
4 stars
Posted on January 6, 2013, in Drama and tagged 4 stars, action, drama, hessica chastain, history, james gandolfini, jason clarke, joel edgerton, kathryn bigelow, kyle chandler, osama bin laden, taylor kinney. Bookmark the permalink. 8 Comments.
I hope to share your same engrossing experience when I watch it this weekend.
I cannot wait to hear about your experience. The theater where I saw this movie told me every show since showing has been sold out. Good luck!
i’m torn about seeing this. i really don’t enjoy how hollywood “jazzes” true stories up. also, as glad as i am that this terrorist was captured and killed; i don’t know if i want to watch it. It’s like the hanging of Saddam Hussien…the guy was a mad man and had it coming…but i didn’t want to watch him hang.
I can appreciate your feelings towards this movie. If I can suggest, it is a movie so we do not know what is true or not. The director is truly gifted and it would be worth your time to look at this movie as a dynamic performance. Since I try not revealing much about a movie, this is all I can tell you. Please do not deny yourself experiencing this incredible film.
i will check it out based on your recco. thanks!
Good review. One of the best of the year and definitely one of those flicks that will probably be talked about for awhile now. It’s just THAT good.
Thanks for leaving your comments. This film is a must see. Happy Oscar season to you.
I really enjoyed this movie. I want to believe that the strong female character is true, though I’m sure it lies somewhere between fact and fantasy.