Zero Dark Thirty
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
2012
**
Never let fact stand in the way of a good story. I said the same when United 93 came out, I don't necessarily believe any of it but I thought that was a good movie all the same. I like Kathryn Bigelow, she's a very talented director but I'm not sure I want her making a film like this and claim it is fact. Simply put, I don't really trust her. She's an action director, suited only for action films, the odd war film included but for films based on current political events I want a documentarian, actually several, to make their films first before we get the dodgy 'based on real events' actioner. She's not great with actors either, I do not believe she got the best of everyone, I know Jessica Chastain won awards but I thought she wasn't great at all. I think the subject matter won the awards, it's the first film of hers that I haven't liked. The scene where she swears at James Gandolfini is pure Break Point. I like Break Point but it belongs in the cheesy 80's, not in a political film about current world events. Even if this wasn't a film based on 'Actual events', the beginning is overlong and many of the key points are rushed, leaving the whole production unbalanced and unconvincing. I remember watching a film critic on TV saying how wonderful it was but wishes that we could have seen Bin Laden's face at the end of the film. The fact that he would say that and applaud the film at the same time tells you all you need to know about how lazy society has become. Question everything and don't let people choose the question for you and don't listen to half answers (or half-assed answers). Zero Dark Thirty doesn't ask the right answers and doesn't answer the ones it does ask. Global success in just one country isn't really global success now is it.