Mark Strong  : George

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A Perfect Depiction of the UBL Saga
10/10
Author: pwiesike
15 May 2013

I'm not claiming that this movie is 100% factual or even close to it but I think the filmmaker did a brilliant job of chronicling the UBL saga. IMO the theme of the movie in a nutshell is this: We got this guy (maybe?) but at what cost and were we justified? These are not easy questions to answer and they are left open ended for the most part. The three main criticisms I've come across in the reviews is that 1) The movie is propaganda 2) It glorifies torture (glorify chais pas...j'dirai plutot "justify") and 3- It is factually inaccurate.

The third is probably a legitimate criticism but the movie really makes no pretenses about being a documentary and there is a prominent disclaimer at the beginning that it is based primarily on eye-witness accounts (and it is common knowledge that those can be unreliable). Regarding the death of UBL - well the movie even leaves that open ended which is pretty consistent with the actual reported events.

We only get brief blurred glimpses of the side of his face and the only definitive identification comes from the 'expert' protagonist who is clearly somewhat derailed and obsessed with the manhunt (and who also stated UBL was at that location with 100% certainty).

That leads in to the first criticism. I fail to understand how this movie can be perceived as propaganda. How does portraying a 10 year ordeal culminating in an unglamorous methodical execution style raid (in which a helicopter crashes and SEALS kill possibly innocent bystanders with machine like precision) where the target's identity is not a even a certainty even remotely constitute a biased pro American agenda?

Not to mention that the whole raid is brought about by a hunch and a fluke stroke of luck and not any actual key pieces of information obtained through interrogation (other than a name). If anything luck was the deciding factor in taking down UBL - not American awesomeness.

Now the torture - How does showing torture equate to glorifying torture? Does Braveheart glorify torture too? Again - this had the opposite effect on me. The viewer is forced to confront the unpleasant reality that we tortured many detainees (probably pointlessly) in our desperation to capture UBL and bring him to justice. What was the primary motivation? Revenge? Safety? Do the ends justify the means? Essentially that's the exact question the filmmaker is posing to the viewer by exposing the torture to public scrutiny.

Perhaps this movie just rubs people the wrong way because they find it too sympathetic to government officials. It's easy to criticize to the Government and trust me I am far from an optimist when it comes to American politicians so I do it often. Obviously our leaders were faced with some difficult decisions after 9/11. Did we handle things the best way? Certainly not, but for better or worse this thing played out the way it did and we have to deal with it and move forward.

Jennifer Ehle  : Jessica

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Better than Argo
10/10
Author: (normangelman@verizon.net) from Washington, D.C.
16 May 2013

I've seen all the reasons viewers (and some critics) dislike this film, but in my opinion it is infinitely superior to ARGO in its authenticity and dramatic quality. The final scenes, when the SEAL team, goes into Ben Laden's house, are brilliantly rendered. The idea of doing it mostly in the dark with flashes of illumination by "night vision" green is a brilliant touch, which most directors would never have attempted.

The performances by Jessica Chastain, of course, Jason Clark and Jennifer Ehle are top drawer and the torture scenes, while brutal, are necessary--because that's the way it happened. Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal for getting it right. I don't want to put the knock on Argo,* because I found it entertaining. But it's artificiality provides a distinct contrast with Zero Dark Thirity's authenticity, and authenticity wins.

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* mais c'est pourtant ce que tu as fait...machin.ARGO est le premier film de Ben Affleck (en tant que réalisateur) Kathlyn Bigelow (ex-femme de James Cameron)n'en est pas à son coup d'essai lorsque elle réalise ZERO DARK 30

The Straightforward Hunt
10/10
Author: Mek Torres from Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines
13 January 2013

One's appeal for Zero Dark Thirty is to see how it depicts the search for Osama Bin Laden like it seems too impossible to find him, like he's probably already dead, or almost doesn't exist. Even though there are controversies going around and some revelations, the story is still all dramatized. Without a surprise from director Kathryn Bigelow, the film is totally electrifying and deliberately engrossing.

There is humanity left in the end that made this a lot more compelling, but that's the last thing we should talk about. It never backs away from the promise and stays focus on the mission. Zero Dark Thirty is a powerfully gripping thriller. It's a straightforward mission and only about the mission. We can see the main protagonist's obsession of capturing Bin Laden even without showing any backstories.

She's brave, probably too brave, enough on what she's doing. They have to make difficult decisions to where are they gonna go or who are they gonna find. The film is indeed a dramatize version of the ten year hunt. It plays too much suspense and sudden shock, but no matter what, every tragic event are still portrayed in a completely terrifying way.

There is no doubt this film will fall into a controversy. It features a torture scene that many think they justify it. It is so talked about and was against it but it seems the scenes only exists nothing more than showing that sort of truth. The most awaited part of the movie is indeed the climax. Just like anyone would imagine, it's a silent and mercilessly violent raid. There's a lot of humanity in the character Maya. As much as she aggressively wanted to find her target, she still cannot stomach any brutal interrogation and tragedy happening on her associates and other people.

Jessica Chastain manages to weigh all of her personalities. Other strong actors like Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle, and Mark Strong keeps their roles effective as well.Kathryn Bigelow's prominent style is slick tension. Here she displays danger in any place where the characters go like something will suddenly explode or a loud gunfire. The action scenes is filled with suspense. One of the sequences can be tad too ridiculous for this movie but it didn't ruin a single thing to the experience. When it takes place inside the CIA or a meeting, it gets undeniably absorbing. The screen writing makes sure it's factual enough and interesting.

People's expectations might mislead them. Zero Dark Thirty is not only about finding and killing Osama Bin Laden but it's also about one's obsession and revenge to this terrorist. In the end, there's plenty of guilt to express but that proves that they are still human beings. We could merit its brilliant filmmaking and strong storytelling that made it feel like we're part of the search. We all know this is just a dramatization of the true events but all the horrifying truths like the violence stays to the picture.

It's a story with nobody calling themselves heroes even though they defeated their enemy. It depicts the darkest parts of its history. Some might wonder how worse it could have been but ignoring all the commotion, Zero Dark Thirty is still a compelling thriller.