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Zero Dark Thirty Review

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Two of the most important and memorable events of the last few years are the tragic events of September 11th 2001, and 10 years later, the news that the man behind the group responsible, Osama Bin Laden, had been found and executed. Zero Dark Thirty, from The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, tells the story of the in between, of one CIA agent's (Jessica Chastain) search for the most wanted man in the history of the world. The movie does a good job of immersing you in the world of Chastain's Maya, a world where satellite read outs and the inhumane treatments of prisoners are common place, but sadly the story just doesn't hold up for the 157 minute run time.


Opening with an effective reminder of the 9/11 tragedy, the audience is thrown it at the deep end, as is Maya, showing the young agent's first day on the search for Bin Laden. These scenes are brutal, showing the CIA's desperation in finding any information on the terrorist leaders where abouts, and their depictions of torture feel real enough to make you squirm in your seat. From here the movie speeds along at a sporadic pace, jumping years at a time, documenting every dead end and near miss in the search. With a narrative that is this all over the place, you never really get a sense of any of the characters. Maya is defined by her job, you never get a glimpse of the character underneath, and any attempt to flesh her out falls short. The supporting players never really make an impression, which include Mark Strong and James Galdofini, making an appearance when their called upon, then not seen again till they are needed. It's not till the tail end of the second act that the narrative comes together, when a lead to Bin Laden's location is found. It is then that it feels like a proper film, more than just a collection of scenes that happen to tell the same story.

For all my faults with the narrative, Bigelow does a good job of maintaing the tension throughout. While everyone knows how it ends, the story is gripping at times, with some scenes that will have you sweating the outcome. When the story finally comes together, we are treated  to some of the best scenes of the film. You can really feel Maya's sense of frustration with her superiors as they drag their heels, giving these scenes some real power. The final sequence, a fantastically realised night time raid, is a master class in tension, presented in the absorbing glow of night vision.

While there is a happy ending of sorts, the horrors of this exhaustive and exhausting search aren't glossed over. It's to her credit that Bigelow doesn't look at the films subject matter with rose tinted glasses. It feels depressingly real, and sometimes leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but this only adds to it's effectiveness.

At times a well paced and effective drama, a narrative that doesn't really know where it stands, and poorly defined characters, does nothing but only hurt the film. Poorly executed, with brief flashes of brilliance.






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The Movie Bit: Zero Dark Thirty Review
Zero Dark Thirty Review
Review for Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty
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