Holy cow. I mean, wow. Really wow. Too bad her ex-husband James Cameron can't direct movies like this. The Greatest Man Hunt of All Time gets told in one of, if not THE, best movie of the year, Zero Dark Thirty.
Let me just say this first of all: This one heck of a movie kids. Not just a war movie, but a masterclass on every level from acting through Jessica Chastain, and the deadly combination of screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow.
The film is about the man hunt of Osama Bin Laden all through the Middle East, focusing on the efforts of Maya, a CIA agent who works day and night to try and find Bin Laden. The film follows her journey from the first days of torturing prisoners for information, to the final call on Bin Laden's whereabouts that could make or end her career(which makes it because we know the ending).
We see the wheelings and dealings people had to make to move the missions forward, and how the chase for Bin Laden almost ended because he turned from a terrorist to almost a legend that could never be caught. But Maya persisted, and the legend became a reality.
Firstly, I just want to say I jumped more times in this movie than any other movie I have seen in quite some time, WHICH IS ALOT. You never expect things to happen and BAAM, they do, keeping you riveted until the next one. Did not expect that at all.
Secondly, this film really opened my eyes to the world in the Middle East: The poverty, the violence, the fact that anyone anywhere could just blow themselves up for a religious cause. Not saying I wasn't aware of it before, but it just really hit home for me seeing it in a film of this calibre. This is a reality becoming more and more prevalent in the US, the uncertainty of knowing that anything can happen. It's sad really.
Thirdly, this is not a historical love tale like Lincoln. Nothing is really left to the imagination here. Torture scenes are shown at the beginning of the movie in detail, showing how sometimes you need to get dirty to come out clean. The fighting is graphic when it occurs, and the bombings really make your heart sink knowing that's how hundreds, if not thousands of lives have been lost. Bigelow's guerilla style of filmmaking fits this genre so well, she just might redefine it by the time her career is over.
Fourthly, this is a masterclass in creating suspense and tension. There are times where you know something is going to happen, but it doesn't, and when you least expect it, it does. She does it so often, you feel guilty every time you don't appreciate it. Bigelow would have make Hitchcock proud.
Fifthly, the acting is solid on all counts, and a career defying turn for Jessica Chastain. She has been on the rise and rightly so, but she makes this role her own. Every time she is on screen she steals the show, but not in a flashy way. Subtlety is her friend in this film. Is she deserving of an Oscar for this film? I definitely think so. She makes this movie her own.
The last hour of the movie with the Bin Laden raid is absolutely mesmerizing. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire thing. Yeah you know how it's going to end, but when it's going on you are totally oblivious to the fact. The amount of time they are there seems to be forever, but that is what great tension does. It tricks the mind and makes the raid that much more engrossing.
Finally, the fact that Kathryn Bigelow didn't get nominated is absolutely asinine by the Academy. This movie would have been nowhere without her direction, I'm sorry. It proves once again that the Oscars do NOT pick for the best quality of work, but for the billfolds in one's pocket. or the politics of what goes on behind closed doors.
Zero Dark Thirty is one of the best movies of the year, if not the best, and is one you should see as soon as you can. It is fan flipping-tastic in terms of a war movie and in creating tension and suspense. It is truly one movie you will not merely watch, but one you will experience.
Let me just say this first of all: This one heck of a movie kids. Not just a war movie, but a masterclass on every level from acting through Jessica Chastain, and the deadly combination of screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow.
The film is about the man hunt of Osama Bin Laden all through the Middle East, focusing on the efforts of Maya, a CIA agent who works day and night to try and find Bin Laden. The film follows her journey from the first days of torturing prisoners for information, to the final call on Bin Laden's whereabouts that could make or end her career(which makes it because we know the ending).We see the wheelings and dealings people had to make to move the missions forward, and how the chase for Bin Laden almost ended because he turned from a terrorist to almost a legend that could never be caught. But Maya persisted, and the legend became a reality.
Firstly, I just want to say I jumped more times in this movie than any other movie I have seen in quite some time, WHICH IS ALOT. You never expect things to happen and BAAM, they do, keeping you riveted until the next one. Did not expect that at all.
Secondly, this film really opened my eyes to the world in the Middle East: The poverty, the violence, the fact that anyone anywhere could just blow themselves up for a religious cause. Not saying I wasn't aware of it before, but it just really hit home for me seeing it in a film of this calibre. This is a reality becoming more and more prevalent in the US, the uncertainty of knowing that anything can happen. It's sad really.
Thirdly, this is not a historical love tale like Lincoln. Nothing is really left to the imagination here. Torture scenes are shown at the beginning of the movie in detail, showing how sometimes you need to get dirty to come out clean. The fighting is graphic when it occurs, and the bombings really make your heart sink knowing that's how hundreds, if not thousands of lives have been lost. Bigelow's guerilla style of filmmaking fits this genre so well, she just might redefine it by the time her career is over.
Fourthly, this is a masterclass in creating suspense and tension. There are times where you know something is going to happen, but it doesn't, and when you least expect it, it does. She does it so often, you feel guilty every time you don't appreciate it. Bigelow would have make Hitchcock proud.Fifthly, the acting is solid on all counts, and a career defying turn for Jessica Chastain. She has been on the rise and rightly so, but she makes this role her own. Every time she is on screen she steals the show, but not in a flashy way. Subtlety is her friend in this film. Is she deserving of an Oscar for this film? I definitely think so. She makes this movie her own.
The last hour of the movie with the Bin Laden raid is absolutely mesmerizing. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire thing. Yeah you know how it's going to end, but when it's going on you are totally oblivious to the fact. The amount of time they are there seems to be forever, but that is what great tension does. It tricks the mind and makes the raid that much more engrossing.
Finally, the fact that Kathryn Bigelow didn't get nominated is absolutely asinine by the Academy. This movie would have been nowhere without her direction, I'm sorry. It proves once again that the Oscars do NOT pick for the best quality of work, but for the billfolds in one's pocket. or the politics of what goes on behind closed doors.
Zero Dark Thirty is one of the best movies of the year, if not the best, and is one you should see as soon as you can. It is fan flipping-tastic in terms of a war movie and in creating tension and suspense. It is truly one movie you will not merely watch, but one you will experience.
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