Zero Dark Thirty (2012): **

Zero Dark Thirty follows the CIA’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden spanning across ten years, starting from 9/11 all the way to Bin Laden’s death in his compound in 2011. The film centres on CIA agent Maya (Jessica Chastain), who single-mindedly gathers information and visits black sites in order to get her target, tackling bureaucratic obstacles and colleague scepticism  along the way. 

Technically, Kathryn Bigelow's film is not bad, if somewhat unmemorable in its cinematography. The most engaging and thrilling scene was a meeting between senior CIA official Jessica (Jennifer Ehle) and a possible informant. Otherwise, Zero Dark Thirty speeds along, hitting each chronological point leading up to the attack on Bin Laden’s compound. The film tries to create a sense of urgency, depicting all the terrorist attacks which occurred since 11^th September 2001, but fails in that attempt. Instead the film hurtles forward, leaving the audience behind, so it can reach its climactic scene - a re-enactment of the US SEAL’s raid in Osama Bin Laden’s house. Names, places and characters are introduced in a blur, barely giving the audience a chance to process what is happening. 

Zero Dark Thirty is not concerned with nuance or examination; it is only concerned with the CIA’s investigations. Disturbingly, the film justifies the use of torture as the information divulged by Ammar (Reda Kateb) ultimately leads to the successful discovery of Bin Laden’s hideout. It barely acknowledges that information obtained using torture is often incorrect or false. Zero Dark Thirty flat out states that it is a necessary evil; at first Maya is reluctant to help Dan (Jason Clarke) with torturing the detainees, soon Maya is spouting the same lines as Dan whilst a detainee being questioned by her is repeatedly struck in the head. The audience is repeatedly beaten over the head with un-needed reminders of the atrocities committed by terrorists, using real-life recordings of emergency calls made in 9/11, portraying citizens being gunned down and buses being blown up. It leaves a rather bad taste in the mouth and not for the reason the film wants. 

Jessica Chastain does her best with her shallowly written character, whose only character traits are single-mindedness and determination. Maya only has one close friend in a narrative bid to kill said friend off, to add a personal motive for Maya to killing Bin Laden. Conversely, Jason Clarke doesn’t manage to add much to Dan, but again, Clarke doesn’t have much to go on with Mark Boal’s script. Unfortunately the rest of the cast didn’t leave a lasting impression, bar from the surprising appearance of James Gandolfini and John Barrowman, who don’t add much to the proceedings. 

Slightly dull and distasteful, Zero Dark Thirty is not the thrilling experience it claims to be.