'Zero Dark Thirty' is non-fiction like you've never seen!

Rating: Null/10 (6 June 2014)

When Osama Bin Laden was killed many people reacted with joy. That's the way I reacted after viewing this film. 'Zero Dark Thirty' takes you behind the real-life mission of the manhunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the man responsible for the tragic 9/11 attacks. Jessica Chastain plays Maya, a desk warrior who's life mission was finding Bin Laden. Chastain shows the mental torture Maya faces due to frustration, stress, and fear of finding this monster. She delivers a very good performance. What's interesting about Zero Dark Thirty is that Maya isn't the only character who is primarily shown. In the scene when Bin Laden is killed, we get lots of screen time before and during the attack with the navy seals who executed him. We see other terrorists being investigating, see other events that led to killing of Bin Laden, and see the damage he created. The films opens brilliantly with old 9/11 calls to remind the audience how evil Bin Laden was. Katherine Bigelow does a fine job of directing by capturing the stressful lead up of the mission and not just having the film focus on Osama's death. And boy when his death comes, you won't know what hit you. Even knowing what happens before the film, you will be completely shocked during his death scene. Bigelow shoots it in the eyes of the navy seals perfectly, adding infrared vision in the shot. This film was edited superbly to make the film extremely intense and provocative. The screenplay by Mark Boal was well-done due to showing the story in a detailed way and by giving the film a complex plot that wasn't all about killing Bin Laden. Many non-fiction films are good at just showing how it happened and doing it exactly as you think it happened. 'Zero Dark Thirty' is eye-opening, thrilling, exciting and shows you just how hard it was to protect the American people from a dangerous man, and to seek vengeance for those who lost their lives due to the war on terror.