Review of Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Seen in 2013.
Consistent with my own pacifist interpretation of the real story, and presented, appropriately, as horror all the way, from the torture (by Americans), through the bombings (by non-Americans), to the underhanded murders (by Americans: “Abrar...”; so creepy!), right up to Maya’s solitary devastation borrowing something from the slasher’s “final girl” motif. The sound design, in particular the sheer suddenness and volume of the gunfire, works extremely well to make the film terrifying in a good theater.
It’s laudable that Maya’s hypothesis of religious fanaticism, being more correct, wins out over Jessica’s hypothesis of corruptible, political terrorists, and that religion plays a small role in other aspects. The process of the investigation being given more weight than the action is also very good. It’s great fun to see Fares Fares, best known in his home country of Sweden for comedy roles, participating in the raid on bin Laden’s house.