Zero Dark Thirty

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.

Poor screenplay, poor dialogs, extremely bad actors and some strange and disturbing way of directing for a two hour and a half movie. The film is boring, the plot is childish and Maya it seems to be a little bit psychotic. Kathryn Bigelow tried the Hurt Locker recipe once again but this time her way to shoot just couldn't make anything understandable and bearable. Sometimes steady, most of time shaky, the camera is so confusing, especially in small spaces that you don't know what the director want to say anymore.... And the script is as shallow as a B series movie... Please don't loose your time. You'd better watch Tinke Taylor Soldier Spy or even Looper, at least you'll get entertain. Or if you want something European (because Bigelow it seem to me that she wants to copy some of the European ways to shoot images) take a look at Beyond the Hills. ;)

i came into this movie not expecting much after reading all the hatred and i honestly was blown away by both the movie and confusion at the negativity towards it. i agree that this movie painted a somewhat favorable light towards torture, but it never really once crossed my mind until i read the negative reviews based on it. i'm sorry, but to flat out dislike a movie based on your political/philosophical views probably means you shouldn't be writing a review in the first place. people also complain about the slowness of the movie. i honestly was riveted by it, from the first minute to the last. every single scene looked to create tension, drama, and purpose towards the goal of catching osama. how is that boring exactly? if anything, i felt the director was too shallow in that the movie seemed to favor over-dramatizing and simplification of the movie in favor of entertainment value; it was too entertaining if anything. i wouldn't have minded a more complex, subtle, and intelligent plot development. as far as character development goes, i agree that there wasn't much of it, but again i didn't even care until i read the negative reviews about it. i'm confused, because i thought this was a movie about the capture of osama bin laden, not shawshank redemption. the editing, characters, and pacing were very sharp and deliberate and they were supposed to be like that for the purposes of the movie and the content. the lack of character development in favor of a relentless pace and focus towards one singular goal to me 'was' the movie and i loved it for it. honestly, i'm dumbfounded by the negative reviews. i didn't want to like this movie. i was tired that night and i'm getting old and fall asleep frequently in movie theaters. this movie earned my attention and i was on the edge of my seat until the end credits. i've watched all the major movies this year and this is, in my opinion, the best film of the year.

I want to thank Kate B for adding to my knowledge. Really. I had no idea that Abbottabad was an Arabic-speaking city where most of the world's camels come to take a nap as the dunes of the desert silhouette them against the setting sun. After about the fifteenth person yells "Yalla! Aimshee!" you begin to wonder: couldn't they just have Wikipedia'd this stuff? It's written on that website that the national language of Pakistan is Urdu, right? Especially if one is to make a movie about an event a couple of years after it transpired, surely a little Googling would help? It's an error so enormous that it made me think, "If they got that wrong, why should I believe they got anything right?" It's grossly insulting and reminds me that one should never rely on others to represent oneself. "You don't understand Pakistan!" White Chick screams at her supervisor at one point. And you do? I wanted to ask. You, who just said "shukran" at a "bar" at the Marriot Hotel after you were served wine in a margarita glass? Overall disappointed with Kate B's lack of effort in representing such recent events in a realistic manner. Another edifice to lazy filmmaking and needless hype.

I was honestly expecting a lot more, given the multiple nominations for awards. I really thought this movie was overdone and could have been pared down by at least 45 minutes. In the end, it was just a glorified "we killed bin laden" pseudo-documentary. The character relationships never developed and seemed empty. And I didn't really find the main actress very believable or that great. Scenes of shooting dead bodies also were probably a bit too much -- overall this movie seemed overly nationalistic and simplistic without delivering much in the way of content. I thought Hurt Locker was a significantly better movie. Again, I am somewhat surprised at the number of award nominations this movie received.

Well made, but my girlfriend and I fell a sleep in the movie theater, don't get me wrong it's a well made film, but three hours felt like nine hours. Last time I felt a sleep in the Theater was when I went to see "A Thin Red Line". Woke up during the torture scene and a few a minutes later ZZZzzz..If you have a bit of a short attention span for slow and heavy diologue films, I recommend to just rent the film and watch an hour at a time.It's a bit torturous, even with a torture scene in it lol! I don't think it's worth the Oscar nomination.There was a lot of stronger fims out there, that should've made the cut, this film is not one of them.

Zero Dark Thirty. Not sure why it is titled that but anyway it is the chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and his death at the hands of the American military in May 2011. From the word go, the movie takes you to the hunt, importance and desperation of it. Here the lead character Maya played by terrific Jessica Chastain fights fire with ice but in few scenes her outburst gives you the goosebumps in this thrilling chase. In last hour or so where they believe that they have located their man, movie converts into the one of the most thrilling and realistic missions showcased on celluloid. On the flip side, I kept waiting for some back story of Maya to know why she is like that. Even though I felt that they just got lucky in finding Osama Bin Laden and some sequences were over simplified, there is no denying because of this movie I was able to experience the most important man-hunt of recent times. Don't miss it!!