Review:
Zero Dark Thirty is a
taxing and intense dramatic thriller, ripe with strong performances and sure
directing. The film is about the CIA’s operation to find and kill Osama bin
Laden, which took over a decade. The story focuses on the efforts of the CIA
officer that fronted the team in the field in Pakistan (named Maya in the
film).
Zero Dark Thirty presents a
difficult narrative challenge, and director Kathryn Bigelow does a
magnificent job. The challenge is that the story takes place over a period a
bit longer than a decade with multiple characters coming in and out. Plus, the
whole third act (practically) does not feature the film’s protagonist, and
finally the audience goes into the film already knowing the ending. Bigelow
makes a series of good choices with her screenwriter Mark Boal to combat these
potential issues.
First, instead of making it
completely about the mission Bigelow devises much of the film as a character
study centered on Maya – a woman who has devoted her whole life to catching one
man. She has no friends, no personal life, and is even not well liked within
the CIA for her relentless drive. The film feels so emotionally draining
because the audience is completely invested in her, and feels the strain of her
tireless work.
Second, Bigelow structures the
third act to be utterly gripping as it features the two SEAL team assault on
bin Laden’s compound. Not having the protagonist feature heavily in the third
act of a narrative film is a huge risk. Most films would flounder or feel
incomplete, but the SEAL team assault is done with a perfect mastery of tension
that the entire audience is fully enthralled. Bigelow also gives Maya enough
moments to still feel like a meaningful part while also giving her narrative a
sense of closure.
When making a film with an ending
that the audience already knows going in, the film needs to be more about the
characters and the journey than the ending. Bigelow does this brilliantly, but
again still gives the audience a captivating ending. The narrative has a sense
of momentum as the information builds and the audience can feel the ups and
downs of Maya’s (et al.) search. Maya’s emotional journey resonates with the
audience making the stakes feel heightened, which is great achievement when the
audience knows what will eventually happen.
Politically the film has raised some
issues as well – namely the use of torture. Torture played a somewhat vital
role in extracting information that lead to bin Laden being found – along with
a lot of surveillance, ground work, and critical thinking among good CIA field
officers. The film would seem to suggest that torture is a necessary evil to
combat terrorism. It even goes as far to say that the information started to
dry up after President Obama mandated that torture was not to be used by U.S.
armed forces and government agencies. Do the ends justify the means, or does
evil only beget evil – violence begets more violence? However, the film also
shows the cost of torture, both on those that carry it out and on those that it
is done too. Nothing is glorified.
Much like Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies, Zero Dark Thirty
also seems to take shots at the incompetency and bureaucracy of those in
positions of control and power within the CIA. The Pakistan station chief
Joseph Bradley does not come out of the film looking too good. Zero Dark Thirty
also points out just how much data is gathered and processed and just how
difficult it is to analyze it – not to mention the resources it takes to fund
all these continuous operations. It is an interesting look behind the curtain,
so to speak.
The film is very good alone as an
informative look at how the CIA found bin Laden and how the SEAL team
infiltrated his compound and killed him. However, this would only serve the
film for one or two viewings. What makes this film more than just a
dramatization of the real events (to some percentage of accuracy) is its
ability to drive deeper into the characters, the people who sacrificed parts of
themselves and even their lives to find and kill bin Laden, or more importantly
to try and keep America safe. It is this human aspect of the film that
resonates with the audience and pulls them in (and makes this more than just a
History Channel special).
Bigelow does not treat her
characters like heroes. They are real people – flaws and all. The audience can
see and feel the toll that the life and work takes on these characters, living
in constant danger, working long thankless hours, and being asked to treat
other humans as less than human. The film is exhausting, yes, but because
Bigelow has done such a fine job with her characters and their relationship to
and with the audience. The viewer feels exhausted at the end because they
emotionally went on the journey with the characters (particularly Maya, who is
exhausted by the end as well).
The film however does feature
graphic seasons of violence and torture, and thus many not appeal to all
viewers. However, Bigelow does not go overboard. The violence is actually
fairly minimal given the graphic nature of the material. It is more emotionally
and psychologically unsettling.
Zero Dark Thirty is ambitious in
its scope both expertly telling its story and developing strong characters. It
is an arduous journey, but one well worth taking.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: Kathryn Bigelow has certainly
asserted herself as the filmmaking authority of modern American war films with The Hurt Locker and now Zero
Dark Thirty (though, I would argue that Generation
Kill is a step above – but it is a miniseries). These films not only
effectively tell their stories, but they also care about their characters. Her
films are more so about her characters than events or action, which is why they
work so well dramatically. She also is so adept with tension throughout these
films that she never lets the audience’s attention wander (which is also why
the experience of these films is so taxing). After The Hurt Locker, Bigelow and
Boal seemed like the perfect team to take on Zero Dark Thirty, and I am not
sure another filmmaker would have done a better job with the material.
Alexandre
Desplat’s score very much sets the mood for the film as it pulses with
tension and thriller aspects, ever driving the suspense. It is fantastic work,
as always. Greig Fraser’s
cinematography is gritty, which fits Bigelow’s realistic style for the film.
Yet, he still is able to keep his actors well lit (maintaining the magic of
Hollywood filmmaking), but not in a glamorous, glossy, or flashy manner. Jeremy Hindle’s production
design also has a very realistic quality to it. Everything looks and feels
authentic, which is crucial for a film like this.
The film is mostly filled with
small performances as the narrative encompasses tons of characters for short
amounts of screen time. Chris
Pratt and Joel Edgerton
are both very good, giving a relatable human face to the SEAL team that takes
the lead in the third act. Mark
Strong gets to come in and give a strong thunderous monologue that is
great. But really, the stars of the film are Jason Clarke and especially the
lead Jessica Chastain as
Maya. Clarke is tough as nails as CIA interrogator Dan but he eventually is
worn down by the stresses of his job, which gives a human quality to these CIA
characters the audience is asked to take stock in despite their morally
questionable practices (i.e. torture). Chastain is fantastic in the film. She
is strong and smart as a whip, and not shy about letting everyone know that she
is the smartest person in the room. It is her drive, despite the personal cost,
that resonates so effectively with the audience.
Summary &
score: Zero Dark Thirty is entirely fascinating, both from a story standpoint
and more so its characters. 9/10
