Despite the fact that most viewers know the ending, Zero Dark Thirty is a fascinating spy thriller that shows all the details that led up to Osama bin Laden’s capture. This Oscar-nominated picture, helmed by Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, starts off with a black screen, as we listen to the calls from the towers on September 11, 2001. The action then follows CIA agent Maya (Jessica Chastain), as she becomes hardened to the torture techniques used to get those involved behind-the-scenes in the terrorist attacks reveal what they know. Along the way, she experiences danger from her position in the Middle East as she gets closer and closer to tracking down the terrorist mastermind.
The movie never fails to capture the audience’s attention as agents find themselves in danger in a world where no one is safe, especially Americans. Jessica Chastain, who has proven herself to be an acting chameleon, completely changing her demeanor for every role she takes on, turns in a brilliant performance. She takes Maya from a newbie who can barely look as terrorists are being tortured, to a tough agent who will stop at nothing to get the information she needs to find Bin Laden. Her journey takes ten years of hard detective work, surveillance, hunches and in the end, just plain determination to get the go-ahead for Navy Seals to storm the compound where the world’s most wanted terrorist was hiding.
Special features on the DVD include The Small Feat, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie; The Compound, showing how a replica of Bin Laden’s compound was built to exact detail in Jordan; Geared Up, which shows the actors who play the Navy Seals and all the gear they had to wear to portray the real thing and Targeting Jessica Chastain, which takes a look at the actress who received an Academy Award nomination for her role in the movie. 4.5 stars out of 5. ~Alexandra Heilbron
Other DVDs releasing this week include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Rust and Bone.