Rating of
3.5/4
Review: Zero Dark Thirty
MikePA - wrote on 01/06/13
Screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow collaborate once again for Zero Dark Thirty, a film that tells the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Their ambitious efforts in The Hurt Locker is more impressive then Zero Dark Thirty, but they still deliver the high-level intensity and sharp storytelling that made their previous film so damn exciting.
While the filmmakers pack the film with lots of suspense and action, Zero Dark Thirty is basically a character study on Maya, a strong, positive woman who just wants to find and kill Osama bin Laden. Maya is one hell of a character, and Jessica Chastain's Oscar-worthy performance successfully carries the movie and keeps it moving. Boal's script is so good and he gives Jessica Chastain many moments to shine. As we learn more about Maya and her motives to find and kill bin Laden, she grows more intriguing. Jessica Chastain nails the role in its entirety, but in the sequences when Maya erupts and all of her stress breaks free, she's pretty magnificent. She's some kind of badass. Her dedication wins us all over.
Much of the supporting cast is great, as well. Jason Clarke is very good as Maya's partner, Dan, who does a good job intimidating those he interrogates. Two Navy SEALs are played by Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt, who are both pretty good even though their only screen time is in most of the final act. Other familiar faces include Kyle Chandler and James Gandolfini who both chew up the screen in their scenes.
The film is mostly story, and while many moviegoers may find it a bit murky and occasionally incoherent, I thought it was appropriate because of how messy and confusing the actual events may have been. It's still a well told story that never loses focus and constantly keeps you engaged. It's a story that is told on the edge of a live wire.
Bigelow maintains good suspense throughout the entire film without ever breaking loose. It's a taut film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are key sequences that are very intense. Not only the finale in which the SEALs hunt down OBL, but also the depiction of the attack on Camp Chapman and the opening interrogation sequence.
About that finale which we all have been waiting for, it definitely delivers. You're put on the journey with the SEALs as they are on a search-and-destroy mission through the heavily-gated mansion. What I liked that Bigelow did is that she didn't make it loud and bombastic, but instead quiet and tense. It functions with more realism. Even though we know the outcome, Bigelow always manages to raise your pulse.
Zero Dark Thirty is easily one of the best films of the year, and a front runner for Best Picture at the Oscars. It's beautifully crafted and consistently entertaining.
3.5/4
