20140118: Movie Review--Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2012, rated R, 157 minutes, drama, history.
2. IMDB: 7.5/10.0 from 152,871 audience ratings.  Estimated budget, 40 million USD.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 93% on the meter; 80% liked it from 188,278 audience ratings.
4. I watched this on DVD.  The picture quality was not quite as hoped.
5. Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow.
6. Starring: Jessica Chastain as Maya, Jason Clarke as Dan, Reda Kateb as Ammar, Kyle Chandler as Joseph Bradley, Jennifer Ehle as Jessica, Harold Perrineau as Jack.


2. Setup and Plot
1. The film follows current history from just before the 9/11/2001 attacks through the successful finding and execution of Usama bin Laden in May of 2011.


2. Maya is the centre of the piece.  She is a new analyst for the CIA in Pakistan shortly after the 2001 attacks.


3. When Maya's friend Jessica, plus six other CIA operatives, are killed by al Qaeda, Maya becomes even more focused on finding bin Laden and seeing to it that he is killed.


4. The film concludes with the successful raid by Seal Team Six on the compound where bin Laden had been staying in Pakistan.


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Well crafted exposition of the search for bin Laden from the CIA POV.
2. Four stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 8/10 The extended night-vision sequences were low on detail.  The film's 'look and feel,' though, was convincingly accurate.


2. Sound: 9/10 Good.


3. Acting: 10/10 Excellent performances by Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Harold Perrineau, James Gandolfini.


4. Screenplay: 8/10 Tight and nicely crafted, but just too long.  The insistence on accuracy about the compound and the attack helicopters was quite rewarding.  If you have access to the DVD, the extras are well worth watching.