Review of Zero Dark Thirty (2012) by Keerthan K — 23 Jan 2014
This film is nothing short of brilliant. Kathryn Bigelow is such a talented director, she manages to keep the tension so taut for so much of the film, at the same as letting you forget for just a second what you can sense is about to happen. Her timing and that of her editor is perfect film making. How she is not nominated for an Oscar and the favourite to win it for a film that is superior to The Hurt Locker, the film she did win one for, is a mystery. This is exhilarating cinema, that not once delves in the melodramatic or unbelievable.
Jessica Chastain, who I have praised a number of times before, has again delivered a performance so versatile, so nuanced, so strong that she really is one of the best and most reliable actors working now. The way she develops and grows this character over the 10 years we follow her, is so interesting to watch. The last shot in the film is simply perfection from her, but not just her. It should be noted that in another screenwriter or directors hands the film and the final shot could have so easily drifted to the far too patriotic, the far too obvious. The fact that it didn't means that it will stay with me for some time.
If you are a fan of the TV Show Homeland, you will love this film. The parallels are plainly obvious, but unlike Homeland, this is anchored in so much more realism and believability. There is no melodrama here.
I loved it and I can't wait to watch it again.
This review of Zero Dark Thirty (2012) was written by Keerthan K on 23 Jan 2014.
Zero Dark Thirty has generally received very positive reviews.
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