Review of Zero Dark Thirty (2012) by Sreedhar K — 07 Nov 2014

Just to pick three other movies of the same genre to make a point, while Kathryn Bigelow's 'Zero Dark Thirty' shares its objectives, as a historical drama, with such fine projects as Charlie Wilson's War of 2007 and two of its 2012 Oscar contemporaries Argo and Lincoln, it ends up in a class by itself when it comes to coverage, style, balance, and appeal.

For depth of research and a script that overcomes the challenge of narrating current affairs without losing their dramatic appeal, it works hard and is quite sincere. The way it moves is heavier and more muted, hence more effective, leaving more for personal reflection on such topics as the brutality of interrogation techniques, havoc of terrorism and war, and the work of unsung heroes.

Hats off to the three ladies, at the center of this project : lead actress Jeessica Chastain for how she plays CIA agent Maya (as poignantly as the mother, Mrs. O'Brien, in Terrence Malick's 'Tree of Life' of 2011), director Kathryn Bigelow for once again hitting it out of the park (as she did with 'Hurt Locker' of 2009 and with 'K-19: The Widowmaker' of 2002, one of my favorites), and co-producer Megan Ellison (tech giant Oracle founder Larry Ellison's daughter) for founding Annapura Pictures which is committed to serious cinema (whose other recent projects include 'The Master' of 2012).

How much of Maya is fiction vs fact and one-person vs composite will remain classified for a while, but one of the interviews with the Navy seals does attest the veracity of the character as shown, as someone who went after the mission with a single-minded sense of purpose and dedication.

Just to ponder the way Oscars work, of the four movies we started out with, Argo scores the least on my card for a total against the criteria listed, and yet it is the only winner. Go figure :-).