When “Zero Dark Thirty,” the story of the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, came up on the Hollywood chatter, response to the film was mixed.
The views of the film are so varied that some, relying on the fact that it was a Kathryn Bigelow-directed film, expect it to rise to the heights of her previous movie, “The Hurt Locker,” the Best Picture-winning film. Others viewed it merely as Obama propaganda that was meant to cast the incumbent Commander-in-Chief in an overly positive light. Others even view it as a pro-torture statement. Due to this widespread attention and controversy, the film has not only been grabbing national attention since its holiday season release, but also the complexion of the film has been changed by these polarized responses and opinions.
Now, “Zero Dark Thirty” needs to be judged in two lights: one being merely as a film, a work of art and nothing more, and the other by its content, including the message and accuracy of the events it portrays.
Beginning with this first category, “Zero Dark Thirty” is as deserving of the Best Picture nod as “The Hurt Locker” was. Bigelow, reunited with production partner/writer Mark Boal, creates a masterfully paced film that is not only well-written, but beautifully acted and envisioned.Just like the performance Bigelow got out of Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker,” Bigelow was able to get star Jessica Chastain to reach new heights as the lead Maya, who is the driven to a fault, young CIA agent leading the seemingly unending hunt for the most wanted man in the world, Osama bin Laden.
The proof of Chastain and Bigelow’s prowess in the film is that Maya stands out singularly as one of the most unlikable characters to ever grace the silver screen. Yet, despite the fact that most audience members will despise her as a character, the performance that brings her to life and the direction that molds her development not only holds the audience’s attention for the film’s two hour and 30-plus minute runtime, but actually makes viewers invest in the life of someone they should rightly not want to be around.In many ways, Maya’s characterization is similar to Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as J. Edgar Hoover in “Hoover,” but unlike that film, which was crippled by a combination of its despicable lead, a lack of strong direction and a dearth of interesting supporting characters and story, “Zero Dark Thirty” holds the audience on Maya and keeps the story buoyed by fine supporting characters and writing, with specific attention paid to Jason Clark, Kyle Chandler and Mark Strong, who all performed masterfully in their roles.
On the visual side, cinematographer Greig Fraser made probably the second best looking film of the year (the top spot going to “Beasts of the Southern Wild”) by combining gorgeous panoramic views, interesting camera angles and a truly thrilling final thirty minutes, in which the hunt for bin Laden comes to its murky conclusion. With all this being said, “Zero Dark Thirty” is not without its flaws, with many of them hanging on the second lens in which the film must be viewed, its content.
Regardless of the congressional investigation on just how much information and access Bigelow and Boal received, the film at times is weighed down by the controversy surrounding it. One instance is the pro-torture slant many see the film as taking. It is true that at several instances the film makes torture seem like the only way to get straight and useful answers (with even one moment coming to the suggestion that bin Laden could have been found sooner if the Detainee program was still up and running). Whether or not this is the film’s actual expression, or a tool of furthering characterization and immersion, used to make the audience view itself more in lines with Maya, cannot be easily determined. Both sides of the political spectrum have jumped on the film for its portrayal of interrogation techniques, with the right viewing it as liberal propaganda and the left seeing it as a glorification and justification of prisoner abuses like those at Abu Ghraib and Bagram.
Regardless of the controversy, “Zero Dark Thirty” is one of the best films of the year. Made by strong performances, sweeping visuals and solid writing, Bigelow’s film is simply a great movie. While the controversy surrounding it will color people’s views and opinions, “Zero Dark Thirty” will definitely have its name called several times during the Oscar season.
