Oh I don't know...

Rating: 6/10 (22 March 2013)

Alright so here is the unbridled version of what I think of Zero Dark Thirty, not just the movie but the hype around it. First of all, I saw nothing in the movie deserving of Oscar nominations let alone wins. But same could be said in my opinion for Argo, Lincoln, Django, Anna Karenina, and more. It was a weak, weak year for Oscar movies. I believe this was nominated for two reasons...1. The Academy likes Kathryn Bigelow because she's so close with James Cameron who is rich enough that he basically runs the show and 2. Left wing Hollywood enjoyed that right wing Washington hated this movie. Also I am so sick and tired of hearing people complain about how its fake, untrue, supportive of torture blah blah blah on and on. Then these same people complain about how long it is (which it is excruciatingly long.) So many mainstream movie goers expected it to be a blow things up action flick and its not. Its a lonnnng, drawn out investigation to find Bin Laden. Fortunately for me, I had read enough on the film that I knew it was lonnnnng and drawn out. But for those complaining about the legitimacy of the movie...ITS A MOVIE!! I don't care what it's "based on" or who told them facts...its ALWAYS A MOVIE. So I am reviewing this on entertainment merit. The investigation is long but interesting enough. The performances are okay albeit a little over intense at times but I suppose the situation would be over intense. I do think the film would have been more effective and more interesting at 45 minutes shorter at least.
All right so its no secret that I can't stand Jessica Chastain. I think watching her is equivalent to watching that one girl in High School that thought she could act so she over dramatized everything. This is no exception. The script is rife with pointless and underwhelming obscenities and she delivers those curse words with such awkwardness that its almost painful to watch her. Her nomination for an Oscar for this silly performance is just as bad as Amy Adams' nomination for The Master or Alan Arkin for Argo. Jason Clarke on the other hand was excellent. I wish the film had spent significantly more time on his character. I wouldn't say his performance is Oscar worthy but compared to Chastain, he nails it. He is convincing and believable and strong. The supporting cast is huge and definitely lots of familiar faces. They all do a solid job in their respective roles. Some of the more stand out performances include Kyle Chandler and Harold Perrineau in small but vital roles that they did well. Having names like Mark Strong and Joel Edgerton as headliners in this is ludicrous. They're barely there and I think I remember one line from Edgerton in the whole movie.
Obviously the raid is the climax of the film. It is very dark and gritty and disturbing so that part of it is done very well. It actually felt like the one part of the movie that was probably closest to accurate and didn't feel like it was dragging and full of propaganda. However (and I am the furthest thing from a Military expert or strategist) and yet I thought a few of the things they did during the raid seemed completely wrong and foolish. The way the film plays out the raid was truly an assassination mission as they move through the house killing and double killing every target. Osama's mark and death is incredibly anti-climatic, even less than hearing President Obama talk about when it happened. The script is sloppy. Every character, not just Chastain, delivers obscenities awkwardly like it was specifically thrown in there to make it R-rated and gritty. I'm not against obscenities in a film, I know as a writer that sometimes it just flows that way but it doesn't flow at all in this and feels awkward. Basically I found the movie to be incredibly off in its pacing, mediocre acting and way over hyped. Why anyone would even be remotely upset about the portrayals in this movie is beyond me considering it is a mediocre movie at best that most mainstream movie goers won't understand or want to see. It weeds out the short attention spans in the first half hour. The driving force in the film is Chastain's character's obsession with capturing Bin Laden and I'm not sure they really captured that. Even in the closing scenes when she stands over Bin Laden in what should be an inspirational and powerful scene is lack luster. There was a small low budget flick released earlier this year called Seal Team Six that I thought would be a total dud and turned out to be pretty good. I honestly feel like Seal Team Six (while not an amazing film) did a better job at making you feel for the characters and delivering entertainment. See it for yourself but it is an intense investment of nearly three hours. 6.5/10