Zero Dark Thirty (2012) The Greatest Man Hunt in History #ZD30
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Mark Boal
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Premise: A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May 2011.
My thoughts on the movie:
Due to the recent events the movies being shown on TV are similar to those events that I was able to watch this film.
I have been wanting to see this since this was initially released because it has a powerhouse cast and according to press releases, this movie was based on first-hand accounts. That meant that there was little room for fiction. Of course, some of the names had to be fictionalized and for cinematic effect, some scenes were exaggerated a bit.
Sorry to spoil this for some of you, but there was a part in the movie that actually happened in real life, that could have been avoided. It was when the Jordanian informant was invited to the camp. I told myself, "Why should they invite him to go inside the camp?" I actually felt goosebumps rise all over my body. It was as if I knew what was going to happen. The smile on "Jessica(Jennifer Ehle)"'s face and her insistence on how not to spook the guest made me feel that it was inevitable that their lives would be claimed(Click the name "Jessica" to read her husband's thoughts).
I felt Maya(Jessica Chastain)'s reaction to the core. Her friends just died and she still had a mission. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks and I was telling myself that war is really, really stupid and expensive at that, and many lives have to be sacrificed, including those of the innocent.
To make this blog entry a little shorter, I won't enumerate everyone, but I must say that they all did well. Anyways, I'll just mention a few(I may describe them or just add links) that I paid attention to:
KYLE CHANDLER as Joseph Bradley- Chandler is definitely a versatile actor. Here, he proved he could be Joseph Bradley(fictional name) aka Jonathan Banks, CIA Station Chief in Pakistan. His eyes are also very expressive.
JASON CLARKE as Dan, a CIA intelligence specialist. He was fierce here and he was kinder in The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
CHRIS PRATT as Justin (DEVGRU) ---I just watched Guardians of the Galaxy and I must say that this man can also be a chameleon.
JAMES GANDOLFINI as the CIA Director, Leon Panetta---JG is a great actor. A lot of people mourned for his loss because he was ALWAYS real.
FREDERIC LEHNE as THE WOLF, a CIA Section Chief
STEPHEN DILLANE as NSA Director, John Brennan
