Exceptionally Well Directed Thriller

Rating: Null/10 (16 January 2013)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
**** (out of 4)
Excellent thriller from Kathryn Bigelow about the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. ZERO DARK THIRTY ended up hitting theaters less than a year after the final events in this movie so one might think we'd end up with a rush job but that's certainly far from the truth. What's so amazing about Bigelow's direction is that everyone watching this movie knows how it ends yet she still creates a wonderful tension that grabs the viewer during the opening scenes that are just audio and holds them till the very end once the mission starts. This movie clocks in over 2 1/2 hours yet it never feels long, which is another compliment to Bigelow because the majority of the movie is mostly dialogue. You have to give the director credit for making the dialogue scenes just as tense and compelling as the more controversial torture scenes and of course the scattered action throughout the film. Another major plus are the terrific performances with Jessica Chastain leading the way as the CIA agent who has given her life to bring bin Laden to justice. Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle and Joel Edgerton are also excellent in their supporting bits but everyone from the lead to the smallest roles are perfect here. The visual look of the film really puts you in the middle of the action and I think this helps with the tension and especially during some of the terrorist attack scenes. The same is true for the torture sequences but I give the director credit for just telling the story and not shying away from anything or trying to play political on either side of the subject. I like the fact that the film doesn't preach at the viewer and instead just tells its story. The final sequence is certainly incredibly thrilling and seeing how Bigelow managed the various visuals is quite an achievement and it works beautifully. ZERO DARK THIRTY is a political thriller at its very best and one of the best directing jobs out there, which just once again proves how smart the Academy is.