Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

 Every so often a film comes along that people consider to be 'controversial' and it's probably safe to say that out of all of the Oscar film from this year, this is definitely the controversial one.

 'Zero Dark Thirty' is based on the real life events of one C.I.A agent, Maya (Jessica Chastain) and her attempts to find America's most wanted man, Osama Bin Laden. The film starts with the events of 9/11, covers all aspects of the long search for him and concludes in 2011 with his eventual killing. This is all told from Maya's perspective and the various people she met and worked with along the way.

 This was always going to be an interesting film. After all, you can't really get more relevant than this when it comes to major world events of the last decade or so. This film manages to show every aspect of this search incredibly well. It shows the adrenaline fuelled events from both sides, including raids on the terrorist group as well as the attack on London 7/7. All of this is balanced well with the more technical side of the search and the frustration of hitting dead ends making for a generally well paced movie.

 Acting wise, it's very good. All the actors give great performances with a stand out performance coming from the leading lady. It is blatantly obvious why she was nominated for so many awards this season and it is a shame she didn't win more.

 To move onto the more controversial aspects of the story, the film quiet openly features torture scenes including shots of water-boarding and various other methods of persecution. I'm going to forget about the political background to this momentarily and simply say that in terms of the film, I think it was necessary to include this kind of scene. It is not only a vital part of the story and demonstrates how some of the information to help find Bin Laden was acquired, but it also helps to balance out the characters in the film. Without this, many of the agents seen would appear to be portrayed as your classic secret agent heroes without any flaws or foibles. This shows the real stresses of modern war and how it effects everyone involved. I will leave it at that.

 In terms of the films flaws, some of it does move fairly slowly. One particular section that comes to mind is the scenes that take place in Langley at C.I.A headquarters. Whilst it does reflect the frustration in terms of things not being done quickly enough, I think making your audience frustrated with the slow pace at the same time is maybe not the best way to go.

 Overall, this is a very interesting film told in a great way. Pacing problems in some parts are well and truly made up for in other sections of the movie, particularly the last third based around the assault on Bin Laden which had me on the edge of my seat. If you get the chance, definitely watch it.