Maya is a CIA operative whose first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. on the 11th September 2001. She is a reluctant participant in extreme duress applied to the detainees, but believes that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics.
Maya (Jessica Chastain) is new to Pakistan, a CIA operative whose first experience is with interrogating prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. She is welcomed by fellow operatives Dan (Jason Clarke) and Jessica (Jennifer Ehle); the two have much experience in the Detaining Program and have grown numb to what it entails. The expert interrogators apply extreme duress to the detainees; believing that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics.
From the moment Maya started working for the CIA, she has made it her mission to track down the Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden. She is a fast learner in what it takes to make it through the difficult situation she has been placed in; and her dedication does not go unnoticed by her director (James Gondolfini). As terrorist attacks continue, more work gets thrown at Maya but her ultimate goal is still to find Bin Laden. Her team goes through dead leads and valid information only to feel like they are pulling at straws.
Dan ends up going back to Washington to get a sense of normalcy as being in the desert has begun to take its toll on him. When Jessica finally gets a solid lead; Maya and her team feel they are on their way to their destination only to have the meeting be another set up by the terrorist group, taking the lives of several CIA agents.
With years going by, Maya is left in charge of the mission and feels like she has analyzed information every which way only to be at a dead end, then suddenly their security has a breakthrough. Maya finds what she believes to be the whereabouts of the most wanted man in the world and now must convince Washington D.C. with little evidence. All building up to the most talked about ending to the largest manhunt the world has ever seen.
Oscar winning Director Kathryn Bigelow pushes the limits again with this controversial film that has been under fire from the media for the information she had access to as well as the screenplay’s writer Mark Boal. The writing and directing of the film were phenomenal. It is no easy task getting the audience to sit on the edge of their seats following a story they already know the ending to; but Zero Dark Thirty was intense from start to finish. Recent Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain was exceptional as the film’s central character. She brings a variety of skills to the screen and was perfect for the role.
With the right amount of humor in such a dramatic and action packed story, Zero Dark Thirty is worth the movie ticket and probably a Blu-Ray purchase in a few months.
Comments