A film that tracks almost documentary-style the ten-year hunt for #OsamaBinLaden. A film that demonstrates the single-minded focus behind tracking him and killing him. A film that is built on the premise that the war on terror is outside the realm of morality.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #ZeroDarkThirty on #NetflixIndia. As you watch the two-and-a-half-hour-long film, you get a feeling that there are three distinct parts to it. First, there is the torture of Ammar, a nephew of Bin Laden that shakes you up. Then there is Maya (#JessicaChastain) and her clear focus on tracking down her target in the face of all odds and her journey through this process. And finally, the last thirty minutes or so when the screen goes dark and you are peering hard to sport the clinical action of the CIA to eliminate their target.
At a different level though, #KathrynBigelow’s #ZeroDarkThirty also raises the question of interrogation through extreme torture as a means of getting to the objective. The screenplay by #MarkBoal steers clear of a bias but the film did rake up a fair bit of controversy in this context.
The opening scene of the film has the audio associated with people’s anguished reactions at the collapse of the World Trade Centre and one can almost feel the tragedy in spite of zero visuals. This is followed up by the torture of Ammar where he is physically beaten, sexually humiliated, waterboarded and made to crawl into an outrageously small box. All this is led by Dan(#JasonClarke) and that is when Maya enters the black scene. Dan wonders if she is tough enough to stomach all this, but he is told off by his boss (played by #KyleChandler) “Washington thinks she is a killer”
As Maya settles into her assignment, she gets into a dogged pursuit of Bin Laden. She is the only who is convinced on the information and is convinced that the bungalow in Abbottabad does house the mastermind of 9/11. In the war on terror, it's okay to torture as long as you just don't get caught. Maya is warned: "You don't want to be the last one holding the dog collar when the Oversight Committee comes." As she briefs the Navy Seals, she justifies her belief that collateral damage is not an issue and given a choice it would be okay to bomb the entire safe house. Such methods have since been used by America in Afghanistan and more recently in Iran. In a world dominated by men, she tells the US Congressman “I’m the motherfucker who found the place”
I found the last part quite interesting. The actual attack does build tension and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but the final assault is almost clinical. Yes, there are the wails of the women and children but the lack of emotion in the killings and the manner in which Maya identifies the target after unzipping the body bag is an anti-climax. Interestingly, the face of Bin Laden is never shown and the celebration of the Seals on a mission well accomplished is almost muted and low key.
#ZeroDarkThirty is a documentary on the 10-year-hunt led by the single-minded focus of Maya as well as a commentary on the ethics of the interrogation process. In the war on terror, it's okay to torture as long as you just don't get caught. Maya is warned: "You don't want to be the last one holding the dog collar when the Oversight Committee comes."
#ZeroDarkThirty is a gripping film that also shakes you up mentally and sets up several questions about morality. It is a testimony to the American psyche of violence begetting more violence. A country that has 5% of the World’s population has 25% of its prisoners. And owns 50% of all guns on the universe. The film went on to be nominated for an Academy Award and the hunt for Bin Laden became a war-cry on the streets. One of Obama’s most notable achievements as President was the capture and killing of #OsamaBinLaden.
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