very good

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2013)

The main criticisms I have read about this film are either that it glorifies torture or that it is boring.
Firstly, I don't see how anyone can view this film in its entirety and leave thinking it glorifies or validates torture. The only thing it is guilty of is humanizing both sides through objectivity. You feel sympathy for the terrorist being tortured but you also realize the CIA interrogator (Chastain) is just a person too. I know it is popular to view the CIA as these mysterious evil sadists but ultimately they are people too, and apparently some of them are very attractive redheaded women. Their jobs come with the burden of national defense and when they have a bad at the office thousands of people die. And on their good days only a few people might die and they also might water board someone. Like this film I'm not defending their practices but I appreciate Zero Dark Thirty's objectivity even though some may not.
Secondly. this film is not boring at least not for me. A lot of people say that Lincoln is boring, which though I disagree I can see why. Civil War battlefields are usually far more compelling than back room political dealings however I think Lincoln is easily the best Civil War movie I've ever seen. Similarly, CIA grunt work might not be as sexy as a violent shootout but Zero Dark Thirty is richly layered with so much superb acting and suspense that I was enthralled for the film's entirety. If you go to this expecting to see something of a mix between Skyfall and Inglorious Bastards but with Osama inserted instead of Hitler and SEAL Team 6 instead of Brad Pitt and some Jews then you will also be disappointed. However if you go wanting to see a smartly directed thoughtful film that is more drama than action then you should be rewarded.
In summary this film does not glorify torture it merely remains objective. I greatly enjoyed it but it isn't for everyone. If you go into this movie wanting to see an almost 3 hour diatribe on torture then you will be disappointed.
This is off topic but I can't help but wonder whether it was both Argo and Zero Dark Thirty's seemingly positive portrayal of the CIA that kept Bigelow and Afleck from getting Oscar Directing Nominations. That might not be the case but I know that it certainly didn't help.