Film: Zero Dark Thrity
Best Line: “I’m the motherfu$%!# that found this place” – Maya
Review: ”Zero. Dark. Thirty!” What a film! The fact that a woman is behind the directing makes it even better. I LOVED it!. I’m often a little leery about going to see any type of war films or anything to do with war. I prefer to watch movies about unrealistic romantic plots, where a man confesses his love to woman at first sight. (Blame my self-educed Jane Austen romantic coma. I’m still trying to awaken from my romantic coma. It’s been 15 years. There’s no hope for me.) Zero Dark Thirty doesn’t have a single “love scene” and there certainly aren’t any men running around confessing their undying love. Nope. Just the opposite. This movie focuses on the “decade-long manhunt for Al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011.” This film is VERY intense…..and I do mean intense. Do not go to this movie if you have a “weak” heart. There are several scenes during the 2.5 hours of the film, where I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. All the unexpected car bombings and shootings was enough to make me sweat. The action in the film matches the film’s intensity. I’m positive it contributed to me being on edge during the movie. There’s a scene where Navy S.E.A.L Team 6 storms Bin laden’s compound and I thought I was going to have a panic attack – I have issues. No judgment. I felt like I was right there with them on the front lines. Kathryn Bigelow’s ability as a director to capture the real emotions of fear, unrest, adrenaline, and confidence during the scene was pretty epic. I might be a tad bit dramatic but when the film concluded and the credits began to roll, I had to stay in my seat for 10 minutes just to catch my breath. I felt like I had just went through battle. Phew…
Jessica Chastain plays Maya – a CIA operative. Maya is sent to Pakistan to interrogate Al Qaeda prisoners who are directly linked to Bin laden. Agent Maya is a tough chick with controlled emotions. She’s passionate about her work and deeply committed to locating and killing Osama bin laden. The dialog between characters is brilliantly written. The banter between all the CIA agents is quick and witty. You must keep up in order to get all the necessary details for the movie to make sense. (There was a woman in the theater that was playing a version of “where’s waldo” with Osama bin laden’s character. She kept asking her husband which one was Osama. It was quite annoying since she carried on like this during the entire film. I finally had to say “shhh” after an hour and a half of this nonsense.) The first scene in the movie locks you in and doesn’t let go until the end. The movie is told in chronological order and I found it very easy to follow. I’m not sure what was up with “confused connie.” The storytelling in this film is that of a fully mature bottle of vintage Merlot. Like with any vintage Merlot it takes time for the wine to develop. Once the wine has fully matured the pay-off in taste is divine. That’s how I felt during the course of this movie. The story takes time but its smooth and concise. I enjoyed every minute of it.
*Side note* Hottie Alert! There’s some serious eye candy in this film. Manly type men. (You know the ones. The kind of men that wear plaid shirts, grow a semi-beard, and chop wood for fireplaces in log cabins) Agent Dan – played by Jason Clarke and Larry – played by Edgar Ramirez were beautiful to look upon. Each time those scruffy, good-looking, tall drinks of water graced the screen. I was all in. Hey boo! Military men just moved to 2nd place on my dating list. First place belongs to Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Duh.
