A New Great Director

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2013)

After making the excellent "Hurt Locker," Kathryn Bigelow could not be expected to have as much success with her next picture, but she does and how! These two movies prove without a doubt that she ranks with the top directors in the business. It took some time for her to achieve this, and she can be excused for "Point Break" as a learning exercise, but "The Weight of Water" gave hints that she had extraordinary skills. "Strange Days" was less successful, but she has improved steadily. "Zero Dark Thirty" had professionalism written all over it. The filming, especially the effective scenes in the dark and the excellent use of light, the perfect editing that made the exciting moments seem real and authentic, and the masterful direction of many secondary actors, proves that Bigelow has a clear vision and an exacting execution in the manner of a Scorsese or Milos Forman. Jessica Chastain does a fine job, as did Jeremy Renner in "Hurt Locker," but Bigelow is the star of these movies because of the way she uses their talents to create authentic but subtle characters. No one brings such harsh realism to war conditions. "Argo," a good film, pales in comparison and "Zero Dark Thirty" would have been a better choice for the 2012 Oscar.