ZERO DARK THIRTY - QUEERGURU

This is one of these stories in which we know the beginning and the end, but the decade that passes in between which sees ‘history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man’ is still a helluva shocker. The opening scene of the movie is a totally black screen with excepts of the last telephone conversations being played from some of the people made from the Twin Towers just after they had been hit, and it sets a sober harrowing tone for the drama that unfolds in the next 150 minutes.

The CIA are working on precious few leads to track down Osama Bin Laden and are relying on extracting information from captured Taliban who are being held in secret US military locations around the Globe. The lead Agent Dan who skillfully uses sheer brute force and extreme mental cruelty is joined by Maya a fresh new Agent who thinks outside of the box and uses sheer logic, pain-staking research and her finely tuned instincts to get the most minutest of clues that may possibly give them a real lead. The main struggle in the story in fact is not about fighting the enemy, but Maya up against the CIA male establishment who are entrenched in their practices and methods even though in this instance they are getting them absolutely nowhere.

Scriptwriter Mark Boal has linked in several incidents that we know that were in the public eye that they occurred …. such as the car ambush inside a US Army Camp in Afghanistan which results in several CIA Agents and military personnel being killed ….. with what I can only assume is some experienced guess work on what happened on a day to day basis. I not only have faith in him and Director Kathyn Bigelow to believe their version is as near as dammit to the truth, but I have absolutely doubt that the controversial torture scenes were also based on fact too. It’s totally naive not to believe that ALL sides in this war have not resorted to such unacceptable inhumane treatment, and the more indignant the CIA and the politicians get about this, then the more I am convinced of the movie’s accuracy on this score.

When Maya eventually persuades the people with the President’s ear, that she is 95% certain that she has located the exact hideout of Bin Laden in Pakistan, and the covert mission to seek and kill him is green-lighted we are still perched on the edge of our seats quite terrified, even though we know they will definitely get their man.

I have to say that I am completely in awe of two things in particular about this excellent movie. Firstly Miss Bigelow’s rare and extraordinary talent ensuring that even her big action scenes such as the final raid is so full of close up human elements of the story that you get so engaged with the men (and women) as much as the battle itself. I’m also still reeling with total fascination with where on earth she built all her big military sets as they were so totally realistic I was convinced she must have somehow persuaded the Government to let her shoot in situ.

And the 2nd element that I give my complete admiration too, is Jessica Chastain’s performance as Maya. It is breathtakingly wonderful. As I was thinking of how best to convey how magnificent she truly makes this whole movie her own, I read that she had been hailed as the next Meryl Streep. Praise doesn’t come higher than that. And like Ms Streep, Ms Chastain has just won the Golden Globe, and trust me, the Best Actress Oscar this year is unquestionably hers.

Lest I forget, I should also give full credit to the impressive cast of actors who made up the ranks of the CIA and military and their prisoners that included Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, Edgar Raminez, Stephen Dillane, John Barrowman and James Gandolfini.

It is an enthralling story, and an indisputably brilliant movie. Its only January 15th, but I know that this will make my personal Best Movie of the Year List. The only crime (now) is why on earth the Academy didn’t even nominate Miss Bigelow for her second Best Director Oscar.

Totally totally unmissable.

Available on Amazon

★★★★★★★★★★