Subject matter over character and plot

Rating: 5/10 (31 July 2013)

Bin Laden. Dead. Killed by the US government. Celebrated all over in the Western nations. Why not make a movie about it? So soon too. "Zero Dark Thirty" is the answer, at least according to director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal. The subject matter is enticing and ambitious, enough for the US critics to give it an automatic 95/100 score on MetaCritic.com. That is a higher rating than "Schindler's List" and "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy." Is this movie really that good? After having just finished the movie not long ago, I cannot but help think what is the fuss all about. Sure, the concept is neat, however, that does not guarantee a spectacular film. "The Hurt Locker" is a much better film, but I don't hear as much praise for it.
The problem with "Zero Dark Thirty" is that it is a very daunting film. This is not shocking since this 157-minute movie tries to cover an 8 year timeline leading up to Bin Laden's assassination. The first 90 minutes alone are dedicated to how the CIA found the compound that Bin Laden hid out in. Much of this time is full of failed government plans, gratuitous torture scenes, and technical babel. While this set up is important for the sake of the movie, it is very uninspiring and at times confusing for the viewer. The movie itself feels more like a documentary than an actual movie. The style of hand-held camera throughout the film's duration helps attest to this. It is as if writer and director were more interested in trying to show the behind-the-scenes of a great manhunt rather than telling a good story with memorable characters.
Very little character development is formed, especially with the lead CIA analyst Maya, played by Jessica Chastain. While she delivers as a determined, even obsessed worker, her character shows minimal emotion like a robot, except for the instances where she flips out over the government's incompetence (which is frequent). It is not until the very last moment of the movie where we finally get to see some reaction other than anger from her. Her character is not well developed or written. With the material she had though, Chastain made it her own. The way she talks back at the dimwitted government officials is amusing (I just hope there are more people like her working in the US agencies). It almost becomes a running gag in which seems to be the only one who is taking her job seriously.
The whole famous raiding the compound sequence is a mild disappointment. Shot with bad lighting and unpleasant cuts between night vision and darkness replaces tension and excitement with perplexing confusion. If the entire scene was filled with just the night vision goggles, it would have made it easier to see and know what the hell is going on. "Zero Dark Thirty" really is all not that great. I don't think it is awful either. I feel people like this movie just because of its topic and not its delivery. In all honesty, I can't help but wonder if Kathryn Bigelow pounced on this project just so she can win two more Oscars. Thankfully, it did not win any big awards. Paul J.N. Ottosson's sound editing was at least a very good win.
On a final note, it grew very vexatious to see how stupid the US government employees (at least in this movie) were in terms of their decisions. The words "Pearl Harbor" ring to mind.