Zero Dark Thirty

In 2010 I had one of those rare moments where I come out of a cinema and feel so euphoric, like I have just taken some mind altering drug. This happened after I saw 'The Hurt Locker'.
I think that films have ruined me for real life. I thought it was strange that it took around 10 years for the USA to find Osama Bin Laden. In movies it always seems so easy that they do some investigating and find the bad guy so quickly. My jaded and cynical side said that it was all politically motivated and they really did know where Osama was but were letting him stay free until the best time then they would grab him.
As you can imagine I had really high expectations for this film. But while Kathryn Bigelow is back in the Middle East for this new film, the story and plot are much different. 'The Hurt Locker' was a very intimate film that focused on one man and a small part of the war in Iraq. 'Zero Dark Thirty' however does focus on one woman but her journey is more epic and spans a greater period and has a higher purpose. We all know how this film ends so what makes it interesting is the journey it takes you on. It begins rather slow but does build as the film progresses and the tension rises as they get closer to finding Osama. I apologize if this sounds racist but at the beginning I found it hard to understand some of the Middle Eastern people's names and I had to really concentrate to understand who they were referring to. Writer Mark Boal does not mess around in getting right into the action. It is not all that obvious they are looking for Osama. You just know they are torturing people to get information. The film does start of rather slowly but the tension does rise as the film the progresses and they get closer to finding Osama. It made me realize that the real world is nothing like the movies and is not a simple matter of asking people where someone is and they tell you. These people have to be coerced in tough ways. Plus you have to be very covert when you do it. 
Jessica Chastain is another one of those actresses that is brilliant in every role she does. The fact that she does such a variety of roles makes her one of the best actresses working today. Her character here is really forceful and tough. She does not shy away from the torture scenes as you would expect a woman to do in those situations. But then again, her entire professional career has all been in pursuit of one man so she does become obsessed. Aussie Jason Clarke is excellent as one of Jessica's team. While he is talking with an American accent he has a very Australian attitude in his performance and the way he carries himself. Fellow Aussie Joel Edgerton is excellent as well as is Jennifer Ehle in her small role. There are a few others in small roles like Mark Strong, Mark Duplass and James Gandolfini which I found very effective.
I admit that it is a bit slow and long but this is still an excellent film about an important event in our modern history. There is some speculation as to its accuracy but it is still fascinating viewing.