Extremely suspenseful

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2013)

'Zero Dark Thirty' is extremely suspenseful, even though we know how it ends. It shows how, by combining tiny bits of information, by patience, hard work and sheer luck, the CIA succeeded in locating Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts. We know everything about the raid in which he was killed, but not very much about the decade long hunt for him. This has been a complicated affair, with bribed informants, bugged cell-phones, mistaken identities, and yes, information obtained by torture. However, I don't see 'Zero Dark Thirty' as a film tolerating torture. It merely shows torture, in a graphic way that just as well could be interpreted as criticizing it.
What makes this film special, is that it is focusing on a woman. The strong point of this movie is the contrast between Jessica Chastain's pure, breathtakingly beautiful looks and the cruel, ugly world of killing and torture around her. All she wants to do is hunt down Bin Laden, and there is nothing female in the obsession she shows for her work. There is no love interest, no relaxation, no private life. Only at the very end, when the job is done, she shows the first sign of emotion.
The film focuses entirely on chasing and capturing Bin Laden. There are no subplots, no psychologic insights, no sidelines. That's what makes this film so good: there are no Hollywood-like concessions to a wider commercial appeal. It would be incredible if Kathryn Bigelow would win the Oscar for Best Picture again, after 'The Hurt Locker'. But in my opinion, 'Zero Dark Thirty' is the better film. So it would be entirely deserved.