Zero Dark Thirty - 2012 - Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke.

A true thriller.

After the 9/11 terror attack in 2001, Osama Bin Laden had been named Most Wanted by the CIA. In the course of the next decade, intelligence analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) attempts to track down a courier who she believes to be Bin Laden's right-hand man, a man who could possibly lead the CIA to their goal. In 2011, Maya believes she has not only found the courier, but also Bin Laden. 

Bigelow and Boal have again team up, after the brilliant modern day war epic The Hurt Locker, and have presented us with "the story of history's greatest manhunt for the world's most dangerous man" - as it has been dubbed. However, in parts, I feel the film is over dramatized, in particular Jessica Chastain's character, Maya. Although Chastain, yet again, gives a tremendous performance, at times the character is just overly dramatic and unbelievable. Before the death of Bin Laden in May 2011, Bigelow and Boal were working on a film which would highlight the struggle that the US have faced in their attempt to capture the founder of al-Qaeda. Once his death was announced, they soon realised they needed to start again, and, as such, have a central figure. Maya is presented, at the start of the film, fairly tame and quiet, yet as the film progresses she quickly develops into the grand heroine who hounds her superiors in order to keep the hunt for Bin Laden alive when nobody else seems to care. The tipping point of complete farcical dramatization was during Maya's face-to-face meeting with White House aide (James Gandolfini), who she needs on her side in order to be able to act on her intel of Bin Laden's whereabouts. When asked who she was by Gandolfini, she replies, "I'm the mother f***er who found this place, sir". Get real. 

Believe it or not, these horribly cring-worthy parts of the script didn't too badly effect the performance given by Chastain. At times, her ruthlessness in the face of her superiors maintained the pace in the story, making a two and a half hour film fly by. I further respect Bigelow for her depiction of torture following the 9/11 attacks. Instead of covering up any immoral act from US officials, Bigelow confronted them head on, something which has since caused some controversy in the US, especially with those (namely Naomi Wolf) who feel that torture should always be depicted as ineffective and immoral. 

For me, Zero Dark Thirty is only worthy of its Oscar nominations due to the final third of the film. The operation put in place on the 'fortress' (as Mark Duplass' character calls it) where Bin Laden is hiding out is a superb and thrilling piece of film-making. Tensions are visibly high, in one shot, the heavy breathing of one of the Navy SEALs is highlighted. Although a small touch by the director, it all adds to the gripping nature of the final scenes in the film.

Zero Dark Thirty definitely simplifies the operation that was put in place to capture and kill Osama Bin Laden, but, for the most part, it works. 

J.Henderson.

7/10.