Stirring the controversial pot with ‘Zero Dark Thirty’

 

Image by Jonathan Olley – © 2012 – Zero Dark Thirty, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

By Steven Cayer, Contributor

5/5

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (director of the 2010 Best Picture-winner The Hurt Locker), Zero Dark Thirty is an intense film that takes you through the obstacles the CIA went through in finding, and eventually killing Osama Bin Laden. The movie has already snagged four Golden Globe nominations (the top ones being Best Picture—Drama and Best Director), and was recently nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (amongst others) as well.

Zero Dark Thirty covers the decade-long span, from September 11, 2001, all the way to that final moment on May 1, 2011. Yes, although the movie is 157 minutes long (just over two-and-a-half hours), it is very well paced. There were also a couple of surprise cast members along the way, although the big focus has been on Jessica Chastain’s performance. Chastain plays a CIA operative who is hell-bent on finding Bin Laden in what has already been a multi-award winning (and now Oscar nominated) role.

I must admit, while the first quarter of the film was tough to watch, the rest left me on the edge of my seat. And even though we already know the ending, it still made me imagine the possibilities and kept me asking, “Did this really happen?”