Zero Dark Thirty
Year: 2012
Rating: R
Length: 157 minutes / 2.62 hours
There are a few key moments from cinema that stick with me, even years after watching them for the first time. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) is a little frustrating to watch, but I suppose that’s the whole point. Maya Harris (Jessica Chastain) had to deal with excessive government bureaucracy to avenge the United States after September 11th. That the last 30 minutes of this movie is the most gripping sequence I’ve ever seen is a testament to the payoff for two hours of buildup.
What strikes me with this film is how raw it feels. It’s unflinching in its depiction of torture. It doesn’t hesitate to show that the U.S. would do anything to get back at those who killed so many on American soil. The problem is that it seems to insinuate that continuing in this extreme manner would have brought the eventual result a lot sooner. These red tape holdups were there to prevent Americans from becoming terrorists themselves—at least in the eyes of the public and the world. Don’t get me wrong, it makes for a thrilling watch despite being uncomfortable to watch.
The problem with all the setbacks Maya encountered in her quest to find Osama Bin Laden was that it made this movie perhaps 30 minutes too long. The second act seems to drag as everyone around her loses interest in her objective. It’s great that she’s stubborn enough to persist so we could get that fantastic ending. However, the trigger for this operation seemed to come out of nowhere. The stars finally aligned for Maya to get the support she needed, but it felt so sudden as to make me wonder what changed in leadership to allow it to happen.
A gripping third act preceded by the fight against U.S. bureaucracy, I give Zero Dark Thirty 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
