Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

4/5

Katheryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty is an intense, visceral experience. It details the decade-long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden following September 11, 2001. The movie is thrilling, but under a premise I find somewhat unsettling. The whole motivation for the film is essentially for us to cheer on the murder of a real human being--this seems disturbing no matter how guilty and deserving that person might be. I felt like a spectator watching gladiators fight to the death--haven't we evolved past that point? If you're able to take that (admittedly large) component out of the equation, then you're left with an exceptional piece of filmmaking.

Kathryn Bigelow takes what she learned from The Hurt Locker and hones her already expert craft to fill Zero Dark Thirty with scenes of tension and dread. Each one is an episodic burst in which you know something bad is going to happen but you don't always know what. Bigelow is able to take that uncertainty and that fear and combine it with efficient editing and sharp cinematography to keep us on the edge of our seat for the entire 2.5 hour runtime. This is in spite of knowing "how it ends" for one simple reason: we were never witness to the inner workings and behind-the-scenes political intrigue that made it happen. We were never witness to the true cost and true sacrifice to get to where we are now.

It is not the most inviting story, or the easiest to discuss, but it is an important one. Bigelow is a filmmaker at the top of her game, who makes it absorbing from beginning to end even while addressing difficult topics like the role of American-led torture and government-sanctioned murder. She has made a uniquely American movie that takes place almost entirely outside of America. But one of her greatest accomplishments is in directing Jessica Chastain.

Chastain gives a phenomenal performance as Maya, the CIA agent who doggedly pursued her lead to the very end and who fought tooth and nail against government doubt. She is fierce, girded by righteous indignation over 9/11, and vulnerable, suffering alone as she loses the people she loved. Make no mistake: this is Chastain's ballgame, and she knocks it out of the park. This is a movie worth watching for her performance alone. You will not be disappointed that you did.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790885/

The Hurt Locker (2008)

4/5

Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is a superb, engrossing, taut film. Jeremy Renner plays Sergeant William James. A soldier in Iraq, his job is to defuse bombs, whether they're boobytrapped under the ground or strapped to innocent Iraqis. If you've never seen a movie about defusing bombs, it's probably the most intense plot device you can imagine (except maybe Russian roulette). And you will be gripping the armrests throughout every scene involving said plot device. But that is not the whole movie; it is more than a simple anxiety-filled film. There is a phenomenal amount of emotion in this heart-felt character study of a man who is addicted to putting his life on the line, a man unsure of his ability to save lives, and a man scared of death who hides it by yelling. The acting was exceptional, giving fully developed characters complexity and humanity. For a few minutes, I actually forgot I was watching a movie with actors--I thought I saw soldiers in Iraq afraid for their lives.

Technically, there is much to like about the film. The cinematography is flat-out perfect. The use of rapid zooms, 16mm film cameras, and slow motion provide a realism and tension that work together effortlessly and seamlessly. The editing was brilliant, extending the uncertainty to its breaking point, but never past it. Unfortunately, there were also several unnecessary scenes. And the film felt a bit long. This is in large part due to the lack of a story arc; we are left at the mercy of the director as to how many vignettes are told before the film ends. Still, this is a film well worth watching and comes highly recommended by me.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/