Zero Dark Thirty

I’m a sucker for year end top ten lists.  Specifically, year end top ten lists that relate to film.  The website metacritic.com has been keeping track of film critics’ Top Ten lists with a point system.  Their point breakdown goes like this:

2012 Film Critic Top Ten Lists

(http://www.metacritic.com/feature/top-ten-lists-best-movies-of-2012)

3 points for each 1st place ranking

2 points for each 2nd place ranking

1 point for being ranked 3rd - 10th, or for being included on an unranked list

According to the metacritic poll, “132 individual top ten lists published by the film critics regularly included in Metacritic's score calculations” and Zero Dark Thirty has been number 1 since it screened for critics back in early December.  Academy Award nominations were also announced on Thursday (http://oscar.go.com/nominees) where Zero Dark Thirty was nominated for 5 awards including Best Picture and Best Actress for Jessica Chastain.

So when Zero Dark Thirty finally had its wide release this past Friday, my expectations were pretty high.  I went into the movie expecting to see something amazing, with a little reminder to myself to not hype myself up too much for the movie.  Overhyped movies naturally and inevitably lead to disappointment.  I am also usually wary of critics, who I tend to disagree with pretty often.  However, after watching the movie, I see what all the fuss is about.  Zero Dark Thirty is a damn good movie, but not in the way that you might expect. 

The movie, which is about the 10 year hunt to find Osama Bin Laden, is not an action movie but a procedural.  A majority of the movie is interrogations and people in offices talking and analyzing character profiles, videotapes and phone calls.  Most of the action is in the last act of the movie, and even then it feels downplayed.  The movie is about details.  Details that lead to other details that lead to details.  I love this and find it exciting as hell.  Apart of why the movie works is due to Jessica’s Chastain’s performance as Maya, who plays the obsessive CIA agent.  We don’t learn anything about her personal life, but get wrapped up in every new piece of information she uncovers. 

I also like the way the Zero Dark Thirty handles its subject matter.  The movie doesn’t try to glorify or condemn certain actions, it just presents them.  In another director’s hands, this movie could have been turned into your typical Hollywood blockbuster.  Instead, the movie’s focus is 10 years of frustration and waiting. It is interesting that the movie was originally going to be about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and how impossible it was to find him.  Then he was found and they had to rewrite the script and take the movie in another direction. 

So yes, Zero Dark Thirty is one the best movies I’ve seen this year.  Is it the best movie I’ve seen this year?  I’m not sure, I’m too indecisive.  It is definitely top four, hanging out up there with The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Django Unchained and Looper.