Run time: 2h 37m
Intro
Earlier this week I was recommended a film that I’d heard of, but never been inclined to watch. A film that is heavily critically acclaimed and centres around the 9/11 disaster, “Zero Dark Thirty” never really called to me as a film I’d enjoy watching. Nevertheless, it was recommended to me by a friend I thought I’d give it a chance with the hope that I would be pleasantly surprised.
Plot
As before mentioned, the film displays the effects of the 9/11 catastrophe and centres around a female operative tasked with tracking down Osama Bin laden. This chase becomes extremely intense and gritty and had me almost cringing at times.
The plot topic wasn’t exactly my usual taste but I enjoyed the intesnity and progression of the story. Therefore, I award it a rating of 8/10.
Acting
This was a seminal role for Jessica Chastain, who utterly captures the character of Maya, which I found absorbing. An honerable mention to Jason Clarke, who plays CIA officer Dan, as I believe this is the best rendition of a character I have seen from him.
An impressive performance from the whole acting ensemble made for an absorbing watch. I give the cast a 9/10 rating.
Characters
The film shines a light on the dark, merciless personas that feature in war with the likes of the character ‘Dan’ appearing to be particularly savage. The movie also does a good job of displaying the descent that Maya takes into becoming extremely cold and unfased by the tragedies of war.
I found the character development of the central figures in the film very interesting therefore, earning itself an 8.5/10 rating.
Dialogue
Kathryn Bigalow teamed up with Mark Boal teamed up again for “Zero Dark Thirty”, 3 years after creating “The Hurt Locker”. Both films were extremely successful and it is abundantly clear that the two are salt and pepper. They bring a raw style to the script and convey the rough nature of the war and the characters that play a key part in it.
The dialogue was authentic and perfectly conveyed the language used by figures involved in war. Therefore, it has earned itself an 8.5/10 rating.
Music
The score was written by Alexandre Desplat, who is a world renowned composer having worked on films such as: “The Golden Compass”, “Harry Potter and the Deathoy Hallows part 1 and part 2”, “The French Dispatch” and many more. He does a fantastic job of creating an eery tension throughout the film, making it even more gripping.
I thought the soundtrack was crafted carefully and worked perfectly with the style of the film. Therefore, I give it an 8.5/10 rating.
Final verdict
Despite being a critically impressive film and I don’t think I’d rewatch “Zero Dark Thirty”. Although I found Chastain’s powerful performance mesmerising, I found the raw, dark nature of the film too much for my liking and I won’t be crying for people to watch it.