Film Review: Zero Dark Thirty

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow. Stars: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle, Kyle Chandler, Harold Perrineau. Written by: Mark Boal. Released: January 2013

Zero Dark Thirty= military time for thirty minutes after midnight.

I knew three things going into Zero Dark Thirty. That it is a film about the hunt (supposedly based on government files, information, etc) for Osama Bin Laden and that it is gaining rave reviews from numerous film critics.

And the third is that film depicts controversial torture scenes. Not so much for the graphic nature of them, but that it is Americans that are doing the torturing. 

The film begins dramatically on September 11, 2001 with a black screen and audio of phone calls from those who died in the Twin Towers.

We then fast forward two years ahead with CIA expert Dan (Clarke) torturing a relative of Osama Bin Laden. It is an intense scene. In the corner sitting in the dark is Mya (Chastain) a CIA cipher (I had to do a bit of research to figure out what Mya’s job title was), a “killer” hired to find Osama Bin Laden and spends ten years dedicating her life to her task.

We then go into long and detailed look (thanks to former journalist turned screenplay writer Mark Boal) at the years and process of what it took find Osama Bin Laden. Since the film is bookend by intense, dramatic and action filled sequences it can makes the middle feel slower. But I feel it is done on purpose.  It is a movie about the process (just like Lincoln is about the process of the Emancipation Proclamation) and not so much a character study but a look at those behind the process.

Not to say the characters are not interesting and it is due to the talent of Chastain and the rest of the cast that they do so much with the little they have. It is about Mya and what she does, but besides her job and that she is hired and trained from high school (she must have done something impressive in high school) by the CIA, little else is known about Mya. Yet Chastain’s performance is engaging and layered enough with emotions that you almost forget that we don’t know her last name or anything else about her.  Chastain’s Mya is not depicted as a “tough in your face CIA agent.” She is strong, smart and fiercely determined for sure, but at the same time feels the confusion, uncertainty and pressure of what is required of her. With the little character information given, Mya is humanized and relatable through Chastain’s performance.

Director Kathryn Bigelow, along with cinematographer Graig Fraser and production designer Jeremy Hindle create a look and atmosphere that gives a beauty to the harsh lands of Afghanistan, Pakistan and even cramped CIA offices. The multi-media mix of fake and actual news footage, such as former President George W. Bush speaking on a television in the background and a President Obama interview where he claims torturing has stopped, adds a sense of irony on top of the realism. It is not exactly a new technique but it is blended well and used effectively in this case.  There are times where I find that Bigelow’s use of hand held camera is not needed, such as meetings, but for the action sequences it obviously works well. There is also times where a long shot of Mya is used to give a sense isolation that is subtle but effective. Along with Alexander Desplat’s score that isn't overbearing but heightens moments that a good score is meant to do. 

I will admit that at first the films ending slightly bugged me, but as I spent the last couple days thinking about it I now find it pretty fitting. At first I wanted a stronger ending, especially after the build up and the dramatic moment that we are all waiting for and know is coming.  But in keeping with the film being more about the process and little known about Mya even to this day, without giving too much away, Mya alone on plane heading home is fitting.