Movie Review: Zero Dark Thirty
With every viewer already knowing how this movie will end when they walk into the theater, Zero Dark Thirty is faced with the task of presenting the events leading up to that inevitable conclusion in a way that keeps the audience interested. In the end, not only is the story told by this film interesting, it is captivating.
While many other films on this subject may have begun with a series of news clips showing the devastation of the 9/11 attacks, Zero Dark Thirty starts starts with truly chilling opening sequence that surrounds the audience with nothing but darkness and the sounds of real, human fear for over a full minute. This seemingly stylistic choice goes a long way, allowing us to associate our own images of 9/11 with the sounds they’re hearing, already giving the film a much more personal feel. Forcing us to recall our own fear from that day, we’re given a stark reminder of the mindset most Americans were in at the time the film’s story begins in 2003. Remembering and understanding this mindset is necessary when we first meet our protagonist, Maya (Chastain), a CIA intelligence officer who has just arrived in Pakistan and is witnessing the interrogation and torture of a Saudi detainee. This mindset, while not wholly convincing us that what we’re seeing is right, or even acceptable, still helps us understand that the characters performing these actions are still recovering from fresh wounds, and see what they’re doing as a necessary evil in order to bring about justice.
Although she doesn’t speak her thoughts, Maya is visibly shaken by what she sees. However, this unease with how information is obtained quickly disappears. Maya becomes accustomed to, and even proficient in extracting intel using these methods, resulting in her finding the information carries her throughout the entire film.
At a runtime of roughly two and a half hours, and a story spanning nearly a decade, the film barrels through the years with an intensity that doesn’t let up as Maya follows this lead down every possible avenue. Over this time, Maya develops from a clearly capable but fresh-out-of-the-box officer into an accomplished agent whom others in the CIA learn not to get in the way of. Her constant dedication to her theory fosters a personal need within her to see it confirmed, and seemingly nothing will stop her. When she is later asked why her beliefs should be trusted, what else she has done for the CIA, her response is, “Nothing. I’ve done nothing else.” And because we follow Maya on such an intense journey in which she devotes herself entirely to a long-shot theory, the story becomes personal for us as well, making that assured ending that we always knew was coming just as satisfying and emotional for us as it is for her.
Grade: A
Nice review. Zero Dark Thirty is a very solid manhunt unfolding in a thrilling and entertaining way. It's not exactly '24', but the realism and implied accuracy does make it interesting to watch play out.
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