Back in 2009, Kathryn Bigelow
shocked Hollywood and rocked audiences with The
Hurt Locker, earning both the Best Director and Best Picture Academy Award
with a grounded and in-depth look at the U.S. Military, and with Zero Dark Thirty, it looked like the
similar formula was going to earn just as much acclaim. Admittedly, the subject matter was going to
be far more controversial this time around, given all the emotional volatility
and conspiracy theories associated with September 11th, its
aftermath, and the War on Terror that culminated in the death of Osama bin Laden. In fact, significant criticism arose over the
depictions of torture and the conveyance of classified materials within the
narrative, raising questions of exactly how Bigelow and her team accessed some
of the source material; so, regardless of quality, potential audiences would
likely be split over the sensitive subject matter. Lack of mass marketability aside, by all
accounts Bigelow had struck gold again, garnering five Academy Award and four
Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the classification of this newest
war drama as one of the best films of the year.
With a gritty trailer, a superb cast, and my own conviction to see as
many Best Picture nominees as possible, I was not going to miss Zero Dark Thirty.
Tense, gripping, and anchored by both
superb acting and masterful direction, Zero
Dark Thirty is easily one of the strongest cinematic experiences in years. First off, I have been surprised by Jessica
Chastain’s talent during her short time in the spotlight, but she took things
to an entirely new level this time around; the intensity and obsession she
conveyed during the search for terrorists makes her a frontrunner alongside Jennifer
Lawrence for the Best Actress Oscar.
Second, Kathryn Bigelow’s nomination snub is now all the more insulting,
because her work was brilliant; the abject fear associated with suicide
bombings, the desperation of the search…all of if keeps you glued to the
screen. Though, as much as I would love
to declare the film perfect, things do tend to run a little long and the
inherent momentum does tend to fall flat in the final act, so the discrepancy
is apparent. Still, as an insight into
the events that have defined the past decade, Zero Dark Thirty remains a remarkably strong film that solidifies
the talent of all those involved.
