Intense war thriller

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2013)

My title sucks for this review but I've got not much else to title this. Zero Dark Thirty is probably the best war film since full metal jacket. It's a realistic view on how America achieved its greatest military victory in years by killing Bin Ladin.
Oh Yeah Spoiler Alert: They Kill Bin Ladin. If you haven't heard that then you've been living under the earths core because it was said 20 million times around the political season. This film is pretty intense from the start. It starts with a torture sequence of a suspected terrorist in Pakistan. A lot of things have been said about the scenes but I'll say this. It's how it happened people. Whether you like it or not, America tortured terrorist for information and is film accurately portrays it. Same with the scenes showing the actual mission. it's incredibly realistic. It's leads the film to have a climatic/anti-climatic feel while feeling satisfying to you. Jessica Chastain puts up an awesome performance but before the approval of the mission can be kind of annoying but nevertheless memorable. The cinematography was also excellent to the film and reminds me of the mid 80's war film in the style and realism while still feeling like a modern day way such as her previous film, The Hurt Locker(2009). The score was nothing impressive at all but its not suppose to be. probably why the left out the music for the final scenes. Spoiler: The ending of the film maybe the best moment when you see her sitting in the military plane alone, crying, and from what I gather that her life has no more purpose as this was what she was dedicated to doing for maybe over 8 years.
I feel this is the best film of the year in a year of movies above any in recent memory. If I could give this an 8.75 I would. It's incredibly close to being a masterpiece and something to be inconsideration with the Great War films like Apocalypse Now, The Thin Red Line and the Deer Hunter. Sadly it lacked something in it to put it below these other films whether its artistic vision, stylist realism, memorable lines or characters. I still feel its good movie and accurately depicts the modern day terrorism war, much like Traffic (2000) depicted the US war on Drugs. Overall great movie but short of being in my opinion a masterpiece (most of the films I call masterpieces are films rated 9/10 and above, 10/10 being almost perfection with maybe 1 very small flaw.).
8.5/10