Intelligent, gritty and riveting.

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2013)

Filmmaking duo Katheryn Bigelow (director) and Mark Boal (screenwriter) follow-up their astonishing The Hurt Locker with another gritty, authentic inspection of the individuals faced with the most extraordinary duties during the Middle Eastern conflict. Exchanging a bomb disposal sergeant in Afghanistan for a female CIA agent (Jessica Chastain in an Oscar-nominated role) striving to find Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, Zero Dark Thirty has a more emphasised thriller streak but retains the grounded realism and unsettlingly deep devotion to truth of character that made Locker such a riveting experience. We all know how the search for Bin Laden ends, however this film cares more about the journey; about the mistakes made, the chances taken, the opportunities missed and the decisions pondered over at great length. The tension is built remarkably well and the sparse pay-offs are smartly chosen, with Bigelow refusing to sensationalise the events though never cheating her audience either. Chastain is understandably garnering the plaudits but there is a wealth of small yet pivotal supporting performances that are essential to the film's success: Mark Strong, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle and Joel Edgerton, among others, elevate proceedings. An outstanding effort that deserves a big screen viewing.