There are a lot of movies out there that do nothing but provide the masses with mindless entertainment, ranging from tear-jerking dramas to rollicking comedies. Now, don't get me wrong; I, for one, will go if given the chance to watch movies that will just simply take me away from the mundane day-to-day activities of everyday life. However, there are films that simply won't leave you well after you watch it. It leaves an even deeper mark when that film depicts an event that impacted the lives of almost every single soul on the planet. "Zero Dark Thirty", the latest masterpiece from the team of Academy Award-winning director Katheryn Bigelow and Academy Award-winning writer Mark Boal (both winning for "The Hurt Locker", another such masterpiece; a must-watch as well), is one such piece, evoking emotion not just to manipulate the audience into buying into its premise, but transports them to an event in history and reminds them of the ultimate price paid to achieve an (almost) impossible goal.
A narrative that spans almost 13 years, the film tells the story of Maya (played by Jessica Chastain), a fresh-out-of-high school CIA analyst who makes it her mission (an argument can be made for it being an obsession) to track down and bring to a permanent end the life of one Usama Bin Laden. During the course of the film, we see her work with Dan (Jason Clarke), another CIA analyst turned-interrogator/torturer, and Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), the station chief of the CIA outpost in Pakistan, in tracking down the whereabouts of the ever-elusive Bin Laden. Her obsession baffles even her closest associates, but is in the end rewarded when she comes across a piece of information that can lead of the capture of Bin Laden. It all boils down to a tense, edge-of-your-seat sequence which follows the Navy SEALs tasked with raiding Bin Laden's suspected hideout, and possibly bringing his life to an end.
Right off the bat, the movie pulls no punches as to how far the CIA will go to make sure that their goals are met. A very touchy point that the movie does not skirt around is its very graphic depiction of torture, showing how the characters depend on this inhumane tool even if it defies their moral compasses. One such example of that conundrum is how Dan goes about with administering torture to one of their prisoners. During the interrogation, Dan goes from friend to foe in a matter of minutes, bewildering the prisoner and just blurring the line even more between fulfilling one's duty, and simply carrying out a primal instinct to maim a perceived enemy. Now, a great deal of what has been said about the movie's depiction of torture is that it glorifies it, almost to an exploitative degree, showing that, in a nutshell, "the end justifies the means." However, upon watching it, you will see that (through Boal's expert writing, which I'll get to in a bit) the strain of torturing people takes a huge toll on the characters, most especially Maya, who we see in the first few minutes of the film participating in her first torture/interrogation session. At first, she flinches and is unable to watch the atrocity given out by Dan, but in time evolves into a mere shadow of her former self, slowly getting consumed by her growing obsession of finding UBL. For the past few years, Hollywood has given us films that deal with dark and gritty characters with morally-gray backgrounds that offer us a reflection of real life, of who were really are and how low we can become when forced in any such situation; sometimes, it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. "ZDT" succeeds in that endeavour, hands down.
Admittedly, the movie does not have the same effect on me as it does my American counterparts. Given the events of September 11, 2001, seeing the brains behind that heinous crime get what he deserves will really elicit patriotic emotion from any American that will go see this film. While I am not completely accurate in saying that (as of this writing, a lot of Americans even look at this film as a propaganda tool of the White House, given its close affinity with Hollywood), it's impossible not to just watch in awe the events unfolding on screen. The film plays out like a crime procedural, akin to that of the popular CSI franchise. Obviously, the biggest difference that can be seen is that the film deals with a real-world event, and that the outcome of the hunt is already known. Still, there's something about knowing how the protagonists go from point A to Z even if the outcome is known that piques the interest of people, and this film is a shining testament to that. Aside from the film playing out like a procedural, a "documentary" flair is also added to it. The film liberally uses real-world events in making the narrative flow (such as the July 7, 2005 London bombing and the Sept. 20, 2008 Hotel Marriott attack in Islamabad, Pakistan), and this makes sure that the story gets grounded in reality and prevents it from veering away to fantastical territory.
Even when the film slows down to develop character or build tension, the pace still is completely unrelenting thanks to the powerful acting done by the cast. Chastain, who has proved herself adept at playing strong supporting characters in films such as Lawless (with Jason Clarke as well) and Coriolanus, takes center-stage in this one, her performance a strong anchor that doesn't let the film drift off too far left or right. Often, the film demands Chastain to carry the load completely, even if heavyweights such as Mark Strong (Tinker, Tenor, Soldier, Spy) or James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) are present. There's something that everyone can relate to when she appears on screen in deep distress over not being able to get over her obsession, and Chastain simply nails it. If I may be so bold, I can finally say that Bruce Willis' John McClane has a female counterpart, a female version of the "American everyman hero", or in this case, everywoman. [UPDATE: while this review was being written down, Chastain won the 2013 Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Presentation. Well-deserved!] Jason Clarke plays Dan, the Ph.D-wielding CIA analyst with a steely coolness to him. We see a whole spectrum from him, going from fun-loving to ice-cold throughout the film. It's like watching him evoke the same character he played in Lawless, except here he talks more, and moves more.
Technically, the film is a marvel. Once again, Bigelow demonstrates her complete mastery over the subject matter, infusing the correct amount of tension and heart to the proceedings. There is a fine line that must be respected when making films such as Thirty: Make the movie too tense, and everything becomes aloof; the audience will completely tune out. On the other hand, make the movie with too much heart, and it becomes a heart-warming drama which completely takes the audience away from the main point of the film, it being a reminder of how low a human being can get to fulfil an obsession. Boal again crafts a sharply-written screenplay, excising the common Hollywood tropes that usually occupy films that depict events such as this (I know I'll be roasted for saying this, but even Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan relied too much on clichés present in almost all WWII movies, and presents none of the humanity that lies deep within every single one of the soldiers present in the war. Again, that's just me.) There are no sharp and witty banter, no show-stopping speech that "marks" the turning point of the film. All we get is a bleak representation of a crystal-clear truth.
In closing, I don't think there will ever be a film within the next few months that will dethrone Thirty as the best film of 2013, and its position is rightfully obtained. Strong performances all around complemented by great technical work results in a film that will live in the consciousness of cinephiles everywhere; and even if you're not a cinephile, the movie will also stay on with you, constantly letting you question if the end really justifies the means.
FINAL RATING:
**** 1/2
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