Shamelessly opening under limited released just before Christmas 2012, to make the cut-off
for Oscar-contention, this Kathryn Bigelow American Spy-thriller ended up scoring five
nominations, and has already recouped all of its $40-million dollar budget.
The dramatization of the real-life story behind America's hunt for Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist
mastermind behind the September 11th terrorist attacks...
something you wouldn't know from watching this movie... is bravely captured, scant months
following the actual story's conclusion.
And honestly, such a ploy feels needlessly opportunistic, and downright gratuitous, it's
hard to see this movie as anything but an exploitive cash-grab during awards season.
The delicate and untimely treatment of the material notwithstanding, this isn't even
close to "Best Picture" material: dragging on for the first 90 minutes if for no other
reason than to include every last detail of a story only a few can actually verify is
accurate.
Failing to establish any story, plot, or consequence, Bigelow foolishly just assumes her audience
understands all the back-story behind Al-Queda's most-wanted leaders, and all the military
jargon and intialisms that go with it.
It isn't until the 100-minute mark that a dime-a-dozen character finally explains why
anyone is even trying to find Bin Laden, or what the consequences are if they can't.
Sadly though, for nominated lead actress Jessica Chastain, her motivations are never explained...
her 10-year-devotion to the greatest manhunt in history is merely a mechanism to advance
the bloated and confusing plot.
Many of the interrogation and torture scenes bring us deep into the world of military intelligence
with gritty, and uncomfortable realism: but without any context on how these man were
captured, if they're ever released, if their information is valuable, or how the despicable
tactics, like controversial water-boarding, effect our protagonists on an emotional level...
they lack any tension or impact.
Chastain does a great job with her undeveloped role, shouting lines of wordy dialogue with
a furious determination that is truly convincing.
Once you get past the boring first-half, and forgettable characters that float in and out
of the screenplay as needed, the movie's tighter finish is a real delight.
A scene where CIA agents track Bin Laden's courier with real-time GPS updates in a Pakistani
market is intriguing and thrilling... watching their spycraft at work makes for great cinema.
The minimalist soundtrack meshes well with the heavy subject matter, with the many terrorist
compounds and military bases looking shockingly similar to their real-life counterparts.
The final, near real-time raid on UBL's fortress hideout is grippingly recreated, staying reasonably
respectful by never showing Geronimo's full face.
This sequence is unquestionably the highlight of the picture, and only the reason anyone
should consider watching this drawn-out 157 minute experience.
This movie wins points for tackling an important moment in American history with class and
questionable accuracy, but for the majority of the feature, it is an unfocused, under-explained
collection of disconnected scenes of intelligence failures, successes, and surprises.
Although it functions effectively as a historical dramatization, save for its climatic finish,
this picture is rarely entertaining.
Zero Dark Thirty, "Incredibly fascinating story, poorly adapted."
Now that you've heard my review, lets check out the YouTube comments to read some of yours.
An EIGHT and a SIX for "Zero Dark Thirty".
Although you thought it was poorly paced, confusing, and a bit long: unanimous praise
was given to Chastain's acting, and the thrilling climatic raid sequence, you thought the movie
was GREAT.
I agree with all of that, but I can't overlook the terribly boring first hour, unexplained
character motivations... and the very existence of the film, which still feels a bit too immediate.
I rank this picture "GOOD".