The gripping story of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2014)

The name Osama Bin Laden didn't mean anything to most people before two hijacked aircraft brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center on the Eleventh of September 2001; soon afterwards everybody knew his name and he was the most wanted man in the world: this is the story of how he was tracked down and ultimately killed.
We are introduced to protagonist Maya Lambert as she attends the brutal interrogation of a prisoner at a secret site in Pakistan. He doesn't talk during these sessions but is later tricked into giving the nom de guerre of the man working as a courier for Bin Laden. This name is corroborated by other sources and then the hunt is on to find out the man's true name and ultimately locate him. He is eventually found in a secure house in Pakistan. Surveillance indicates there are two other men there; one who never goes out, never talks to anybody who doesn't live in the house and never shows his face where it could be seen Maya is convinced that this third man is Bin Laden. Months pass before the raid is given the go-ahead and there can't be many people who don't know how it ended.
While most people will know how this story began and how it ends it is interesting to learn what happened in between. Director Kathryn Bigelow brings a no-nonsense approach to the film which actually serve to keep the tension high more than once moments of sudden dramatic action occur without and cues that something is going to happen. It also means that the film shows things in a surprisingly neutral manner; I suspect some people will see the opening scenes as showing people 'doing what had to be done' and others will see it as showing the evil of torture. At two and a half hours the film isn't rushed but at no time did I find myself growing bored. The whole cast put in a solid performance but it is Jessica Chastain, as Maya, who really stands out. Overall I found this to be a gripping thriller and certainly recommend watching it at least once.