Lacks Humanity

Rating: 2/10 (12 January 2013)

It's unfortunate that this film is made as purely a piece of entertainment. Typically, when you get a film of this nature, there is some sort of redemption or sacrifice that leaves the viewer with a sense of something. Private Ryan gave you a sense of the brutality one encounters in war a leaves you with an appreciation for life and sacrifice. Letters from Iwo Jima shows you that there are two sides to every story and allows you to understand that humanity the greatest victim of war. Full Metal Jacket and Jar Head both give you an understanding of the absurdity and personal costs of war. However, Zero Dark gives you none of this. You don't feel for any of the characters, you have no emotional connection to the film and you are left with "Zero" impression of the human or emotional costs associated with the sacrifices made in order to eventually catch/kill UBL.
This film reminds me of the scene in Gladiator when Russell Crowe walks into the arena and summarily kills all of his opponents and turns to the crowd and asks "...is this not why you came, are you not entertained?" No, this is not why I came and I was not entertained. There is a deeper costs to war and terrorism. There is more sacrifice made than this film makes you feel and I find it difficult to enjoy watching what can only be described as a dispassionate depiction of the singularity of retribution.