Zero Dark Thirty
A black
screen with the words, “September 11, 2001” opens the film, and silence fills
the theater for a few seconds. Sound bites, all of them recorded 911 calls,
layer over each other as callers incredulously express that two planes have
struck the Twin Towers. The frenzied noise draws to a climax as one final clip
begins playing. This one is of a woman trapped in the World Trade Center. As it
plays out her final moments, it leaves the stunned operator to only say, “Oh my
God.”
These last
moments set the tone for the entirety of Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, a spy thriller that chronicles the hunt for Osama
Bin Laden from September 11, 2001 to Bin Laden’s death on May 2, 2011.
Although
the film examines the darker side of United States involvement in the Middle
East, exploring issues such as CIA torture techniques and other war atrocities,
it still manages to be a gripping thriller. Leading actress Jessica Chastain
gives a cold-as-steel performance as CIA agent Maya, the driving force behind
the investigation that culminated in the death of Bin Laden.
It is
perhaps her characterization that helps propel the film into such greatness,
exploring her roles in both the interrogation room in addition to multiple
attempts on her life. It is in the moments in which she does break down that
truly spotlight her fantastic acting ability, transitioning from ice-cold agent
to a broken human being after witnessing the deaths of multiple coworkers and
friends over the course of her career.
It is an
extraordinarily well-made film, sporting wonderful cinematography, pacing, and
actors. Even so, no work addressing topics such as these are without
controversy. The torture scenes that take place in the first 45-or-so minutes
of the film are extremely graphic and present the practice as effective and even
key in the Bin Laden investigation. This has led to multiple allegations of the
film taking a pro-torture stance.
However, the
gritty and gruesome scenes were necessary to tell the whole tale. Bigelow
looked to tell the entire story of the chase, even if it included the CIA
torture practices. The film itself was physically stressful to sit through, but
it was captivating the entire way. For a film that addresses one of the most
controversial manhunts in American history, Bigelow hit the mark with a film
that both shocks and awes.
Great opening. You caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain, but I think in these reviews we have to abstain from using "I." I could be wrong, but you did an excellent job of refraining yourself until the very last paragraph.
Consider removing words like "arguably" and "perhaps," for not only the sake of being economic, but also because it will make your argument (that the movie was wrenching, but revealing) more solid.
Great opening, once again. You really did hook me as a reader.
Thanks!
DeleteReferring to the use of "I," I generally do try to avoid it, but there has been a good deal of controversy surrounding the film, and I wanted to express my opinion on it as the reviewer. I'm sure there's a workaround in there somewhere, but I did think it was necessary to convey my opinion on it.
Yeah, I do have a bad habit of doing that. It's something that I have to try actively to catch, and I wasn't really thinking about it at the time of writing. Thanks for pointing it out, though! It's something that I need to fix, haha.
Also, thanks for the compliments on the opening. It was a REALLY gritty film, and I thought that opening in that way would help convey the tone better.
I appreciate all the feedback!