Zero Dark Thirty

 

With Zero Dark Thirty, Oscar-winning Hurt Locker director/writer duo Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal re-team to tell the behind-the-scenes story of the greatest manhunt of all time: the search for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
  The first two-thirds of the film trail a CIA analyst named “Maya” (Jessica Chastain) who – following the 9/11 attacks – is thrust into the thick of the bin Laden search. Maya proves to be a voracious investigator – “a killer,” as she’s dubbed by her boss (Kyle Chandler) – but as months of the hunt stretch into years marked by frustrations, dead-ends and failures, what was once enthusiasm becomes obsession. Finally, after nearly a decade, when an unlikely lead at last breaks into solid intel, Maya struggles to convince the powers that be to authorize one of the most important missions in US military history.



In reality, Zero Dark Thirty plays like a workplace drama that is bolstered at the end by an intense military thriller. The determining factor between those who will love it, and those who will hate it, is how well the tension of the workplace drama matches the tension of the action set pieces. Despite the fact that the climax of the film is also one of the biggest headlines of the 21st century (i.e., known to pretty much everyone), ZDT will nonetheless leave many viewers feeling in need of a shower and a calming drink by the time it’s all said and done.
 
It is largely thanks to a fantastic cast that even the static moments of the film carry so much weight and gravity. Standing center ring is Jessica Chastain (The Help, The Debt, Tree of Life) whose career has been on a meteoric rise with good reason. Maya is not your traditional three-dimensional character; rather, she almost acts as the embodiment of America’s relentless drive to achieve a single goal. With her plucky, spitfire demeanor and wide-eyed haunted stare, watching Maya’s transition from neophyte to tireless cynic and back into a vulnerable, feeling, human being, is a nuanced experience conveyed by a deftly-skilled actress. And, when given opportunity, Chastain certainly steals scenes with some standout monologues and one-liners. A star has indeed arrived…

Also standing out in the crowd are Joel Edgerton (The Thing) and Chris Pratt (Park and Recreation) as two members of the DEVGRU special forces unit. The pair have great chemistry and banter, and Pratt puts his comedic background to great use – only to then trump that good standing with impressive dramatic chops during the film’s climatic sequence. Another standout is Chastain’s Lawless co-star Jason Clarke, who plays “Dan,” the CIA analyst/interrogator who first trains Maya in the field. Clarke brings equal mix rawness and charm to just about every role he plays, and here he creates a character so complex and engaging, so effortlessly, it’s almost frightening.

Here the trailer :