Zero Dark Thirty

3/4

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong

Rated R for Strong Violence including Brutal and Disturbing Images, and for Language

Before 9/11, few people had heard of Osama bin Laden.  After the terrorist attacks that left nearly 3,000 dead and more than 6,000 injured, his name became infamous around the world.  It took nine and a half years to track him down and kill him in what was celebrated in most parts of the world as a stunning blow against terrorism.  Due to its fame and inherent interest, it was inevitable that a film version would be made.  Pity the film isn't better.

Maya (Chastain) has a hunch: a courier that a lot of detainees say has high connections may be the key to finding Osama bin Laden.  Unfortunately, without a lot of evidence and more terrorist attacks taking place, Maya's hunch is being tossed aside by higher ups like Joseph Bradley (Chandler), until her persistence finally gets attention and it turns out that she is right.

That's about all I could get from the plot.  Putting it simply, it's a mess.  The story is next to impossible to follow for half the film and it's full of obvious holes.  Nevertheless, director Kathryn Bigelow manages to keep an acceptable amount of tension throughout the film.  There are scenes that are just brimming with suspense, and the violence is sudden and brutal.

There are two reasons why I'm giving this film a mild recommendation: Chastain and the raid.  Ever since she burst onto the screen last year in 5 movies (including "The Debt," which made my Top 10 list) and scored an Oscar nomination, Jessica Chastain has become a relatively known name.  She scored another Oscar nomination for her performance in "Zero Dark Thirty" and it's understandable.  Maya is tough yet vulnerable, able to learn and play with the big boys.

Bigelow has always been good with action scenes, from "Blue Steel" to this.  Therefore it should come as no surprise that the raid on bin Laden's compound is the best in the film.  It crackles with tension and the verisimilitude is stunning.

But are those two things worth sitting through the messy first hour?  I think so.  Even though it may be confusing, it still has the capability of grabbing one's attention.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more