Realistic and educational but not helped by the pacing

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2019)

We are all familiar with Osama bin Laden and the story of his decade-long evasion from justice but few will have known the details of the painstaking hunt that lead to his capture and killing. 'Zero Dark Thirty' tells that story and does it with great realism and attention to detail - it is fascinating to watch, especially if you aren't familiar with the events in this film beforehand.
The film does a good job at remaining informative and realistic while never losing sight of the fact that it is a movie with the purpose of entertaining. It does have its flaws though and my main criticism would be the running time. I understand the need to tell the story as it happened and not cut corners, but at over two-and-a-half hours the film is too long and, despite the fascinating topic at hand, the pacing means you really do feel it.
'Zero Dark Thirty' is a informative and necessary film that gives us a detailed insight into the decade-long hunt for the world's most wanted man. A very good film about a fascinating true story.