A gritty reality beyond a filthy window we can't resist peeking through.

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2013)

That Zero Dark Thirty is a stunning, superb and at times deeply affecting film is common knowledge (if you keep even half and eye on the major award ceremonies) and to be expected, coming as it does from Kathryn Bigelow, the double Oscar-winning director of The Hurt Locker.
For those living in a sack at the back of a cave who aren't aware of the events of 2 May 2011, Zero Dark Thirty depicts the elongated investigation, build up and execution of the events that led to the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideaway in Pakistan. How accurate it is may be open to some speculation but this is certainly no jingoistic propaganda flick in the vein of the god-awful Act of Valor. This is a brutal look at the impact America's stance had, and continues to have, on operatives, terrorists and suspects alike. It isn't always pleasant viewing and is, particularly at the beginning, nothing short of brutal.
Maya (Jessica Chastain) is a novice CIA operative whose first job is with the team interrogating prisoners resulting from the aftermath of the Al Qaeda attacks of 9/11. When she observes her first waterboarding session, led by Dan (Jason Clarke), she is shocked and sickened, barely able to watch the barbaric act performed on one human by several others. The discomfort we feel is matched by that which she portrays initially and, as we settle into the difficult viewing experience, she settles into her new existence as, if not perpetrator, then at least agreeing witness to the torture.
But this is where the audience seemed to separate into two camps. As the initial torture victim, Ammar (Reda Kateb in a harrowing performance), clutches a rare morsel of food and bottle of juice to his chest, fearful of losing it before he can down it, some seemed to shrug it off as deserved punishment and veered towards the impartiality that Maya displays. For some of us, though, Ammar's treatment was intolerable and his terror gnawed at our nerves while our heads filled with cries of contempt directed at America. The America that leads the fight against terror. At what cost perceived freedom? As Ammar is dragged around in a dog collar and leash, and examples of ever more extreme torture are further depicted, Dan repeats his mantra: "When you lie to me I hurt you. " No, Zero Dark Thirty should not be comfortable viewing. But while one camp in the audience squirmed, the other camp seemed to follow Maya's example as she watched, impotent and interested, as if learning. And that made for even more uncomfortable viewing.
Bin Laden's capture may be the subject of this film, but Zero Dark Thirty is about the impact not of a military exercise but on the people involved; 'civilized' people who fight terror with extreme methods and the effect it has on their minds, bodies and souls. Bombs and gunfire await them behind every door and every corner, nowhere is safe and the erosion of their security eats into their lives.
Dan is already damaged irreparably but even in him we see a flicker of humanity when that which he cares about is taken from him. In Maya, the soul destruction is almost too much to watch at times. She learns quickly, first dehumanizing herself then becoming confident in her work, but all the time her skin pales and she looks more drawn and lifeless. At the sharp end of her work, we realize her bosses have created a monster hardened beyond redemption and when the CIA director (James Gandolfini) barks "Who are you?", he is met with "I'm the motherf****r that found this place, Sir." It's almost humorous but the look upon her boss' face is not merely anger but resignation; another soul lost.
Chastain is a fine actress with an already impressive body of work that includes the unparalleled Take Shelter and the higher profiled The Help, but she has never been stronger than she is here. While Maya evokes anger and fear in her superiors and colleagues, Chastain causes our emotions to fray as our feelings towards Maya contort to follow her development. The character may not be easy to truly like in the end, but it is impossible not to regard the actress with the greatest admiration.
Bigelow has structured Zero Dark Thirty beautifully and, whilst we never truly relax, we become at ease with the tension and attuned to the mumbled voices and dark images. It is strikingly shot and bleakly etched, no inscribed, on our minds. This is the dirty side of war where the battlefield has no boundaries and the rulebook has long been dispensed with.
There is rarely any sense of mere drama, rather a gritty reality beyond a filth-streaked window through which we should not be peering but cannot resist. Mark Boal is a very serious contender for this week's Best Original Screenplay Oscar and it is no wonder. Never is the dialogue contrived. It is variously bitter and desperate; two adjectives that perhaps best describe the film as a whole.
That some viewers emerge from the cinema celebrating the greatness of America and proclaiming how much they enjoy Zero Dark Thirty is disturbing. Certainly this is a film to celebrate but is it really an event to cause joy? Isn't that missing the point? Certainly the man needed to be captured, absolutely terrorism must be fought and extremists on every side of the fence must be dissuaded from heinous acts of violence, but our reaction to Zero Dark Thirty should be tempered with thoughts of whether the end always justifies the means. How can a film depicting torture and execution be enjoyed? However, my heartbeat increased when the go ahead was eventually given for the mission. Was that excitement? Hmmm.
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