Zero Dark Thirty: Gritty!

The hunt and the eventual killing of Osama Bin Laden has been one of the biggest stories of the last decade. A story where much of the work has had to be done underground by shutting out the whole world, for obvious reasons. And so when someone claims to reveal the story, or a part of it, there does trigger an intrigue straightaway. Zero Dark Thirty had that curiosity factor working in its favour right from the beginning. The trick was to manage to fulfil this curiosity of the audience. Kathryn Bigelow and the screenwriters do a tremendous job to get that right. 

The story behind the killing of Osama Bin Laden would be deeper than what any single book or movie can possibly reveal. So unlike what appears as the premise of the movie, Zero Dark Thirty does not detail out the hunt for the leader of al Qaeeda in a manner that a mystery movie would. Zero Dark Thirty reveals more about the grit and perseverance of one female CIA agent who refused to give up, who stuck to her instincts and her talents to uncover key elements that eventually led to the discovery of Bin Laden's hiding place and his execution. How much of the plot in the movie is based on actual facts, and how much has been exaggerated for cinematic reasons, cannot be told. But either way, it does reveal the efforts and willingness of a few to keep digging even when the odds seemed against them.  

The CIA agent has been wonderfully enacted by Jessica Chastain, one of the strong contenders for an Academy Award for this role. Jessica Chastain is loud when she has to be, soft when that is needed, adamant at times, smiling on occasions, battling with herself, battling with the bureaucracy, and so much more. She conveys a remarkable picture of the agent Maya, as her name goes in the movie, as not a superhero, but a human being who refuses to let the brick walls be any hindrance. There is a wonderful cast surrounding her played by Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgarton, Mark Strong and a few more, who come and go at regular intervals becoming part of Maya's relentless search for Bin Laden. But none of them is ever able to steal the thunder from Jessica Chastain. She is the heart and soul of the movie, one of the biggest reasons why the movie ticks. 

And behind it all is the brilliance of Kathryn Bigelow. Just like Ben Affleck's omission from the Academy Awards list for Best Director is a conundrum, so is the absence of Kathryn Bigelow's name. But an Oscar or not, Bigelow has proved her mettle beyond doubt to make such gritty movies, mixing in the action and gore of torture with truth and realism. She did it with Hurt Locker previously and then took it another step forward with Zero Dark Thirty. Her retelling of events at a pace that suits the audience and adding the touch of the dramatic while keeping it real, is a trade that is becoming unique to her. The final dramatic climax of Zero Dark Thirty that goes on for about 25 minutes highlights this, where even though one knows the final outcome, there is still intrigue and fear in our hearts as the events unfold. It was a remarkable end to the story, both in real life and reel life. One that has been well dramatized in Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty. Now I am looking forward to hear about her next movie, and wouldn't it be interesting if she were to shift her focus from such war / terrorist films? Could she still make the narrative as captivating as her last few movies? Maybe we will know soon!