Zero Dark Thirty Review: Riveting Post 9/11 Cinema

Zero Dark Thirty doesn’t sensationalize the manhunt nor took sides. Violence from both camps showed the human cost of zealotry. While suicide bombers took lives, the CIA tortures detainees for information.

Jessica Chastain delivers a great performance as the dogged CIA agent. Her performance, with the film’s detailed look and feel, makes for a believable exhausting chase. The supporting cast shouldn’t be overlooked too as Jason Clarke stands out.

But when her job is finally done, you don’t feel for the character whose relentless pursuit had pretty much sapped her humanity. The story is mainly propelled by the plot which has no time to care for any of its characters.  It also simplifies the complex “war on terrorism” and Al-Qaeda into a single chase. All of this turns it into an impersonal film about workplace drama.

Zero Dark Thirty is a sharp and intelligent film about a defining moment in history. The film inevitably raises an age-old but still critical question, and while it doesn’t offer any answers, it makes you think if the human cost is worth it.