That's a very grudging three stars, because — like Flight — there's more to chew on than I initially realized, but I still think it's kind of a crappy movie. Let me count the ways:

1) The first third in particular wore me down. I exceedingly dislike the way Bigelow transforms 7/7, the 2008 Islamabad Marriott bombing and the bombing of Camp Chapman into standard suspense setpieces (when will that explosive go off?). The latter particularly rubbed the wrong way: the longer Bigelow keeps intercutting between Maya's chat window and the guilelessly optimistic CIA officials awaiting their big break is downright sadistic. (It was just another gchat session UNTIL.) Is there intent here to make the viewer tensely ever-expectant of…

I feel deeply conflicted by this film. While I admire its scope I have great difficulties with the way it presents it, both in content and in cinematic quality.

Let me start by saying that Bigelow should earn nothing but respect for taking on such an ambitious project. I am not a big fan of hers as a director (and she betrays here weaknesses here as well), but I always admire artists who dare to push the boat out a bit further than the rest or take on a challenge with both hands.

Chronicling a decade long man-hunt for the world's public enemy number one is no small task. Mark Boal's script comes across as fastidiously researched, giving us a…

Over the past month or so, I’ve fallen for the work of Kathryn Bigelow in ways I’d never have expected. I was a fan, but working through her filmography has opened my eyes to her rightful place on the throne as one of cinema's most dedicated, electrifying voices. With a rare knack for the intelligent, absorbing character study rooted in morality and a tender, human touch. All of which could be used to accurately define Zero Dark Thirty. So it’s difficult to admit, both to myself and right here, that I have in a way fallen out of love with this movie. See, part of the problem is viewing this within the context of Bigelow’s career. But also directly following…

Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial drama about the ten-year manhunt for Osama bin Laden, comes with more baggage than most movies. It was released a mere year after the culmination of the investigation that finished with bin Laden being killed in Pakistan. The film has been plagued by vocal detractors criticising its stance on torture whilst the war on terror still remains a contentious subject for politicians and public alike. It is therefore a film that is impossible to evaluate on its own merits as it is intrinsically linked to the politics of our age.

Bigelow and writer-producer, Mark Boal, smartly navigate this perilous minefield delivering a tense thriller and investigative drama that follows one CIA officer’s obsessive quest…

I am conflicted about this film, as anyone with some political education and a conscience should be. The Pakistani civilians don't even speak Urdu. Pretty much sums up the moral ambiguity, as they are inconsequential. All that matters is the show of American force, and subsequent victory. It all seems to be a justification for torture methods. I thought it was slick visually, made well enough. Just another war film, replete with treacherous foreigners, and "heroic" US government operatives. I admit, I was interested in reading more about what occurs behind the scenes when Al-Qaeda and other terrorist heads are eliminated. How are these efforts coordinated?

After reading Zizek's article on the film, I am forced to reconsider my prior…

57/100
I feel the need to start out by saying that I'm not a fan of any movies that are made that depict recent true events. Like damn, we just lived through the real thing, which was dramatic in real life, why do I need to see it dramatized? They always just feel like cash grabs trying to make a cash grab off our empathy and off the victims.
Frankly, Zero Dark Thirty seems really overrated and guilty of playing with the emotions of Americans. we had a lot of anger over 9/11 and with this movie you can watch us get our vengeance and cheer. It just doesn't interest me. Most of the movie is boring and feels like…

Over the past month or so, I’ve fallen for the work of Kathryn Bigelow in ways I’d never have expected. I was a fan, but working through her filmography has opened my eyes to her rightful place on the throne as one of cinema's most dedicated, electrifying voices. With a rare knack for the intelligent, absorbing character study rooted in morality and a tender, human touch. All of which could be used to accurately define Zero Dark Thirty. So it’s difficult to admit, both to myself and right here, that I have in a way fallen out of love with this movie. See, part of the problem is viewing this within the context of Bigelow’s career. But also directly following…