Be All You Can Be

There's a certain pattern to a lot of military films.  You know the drill - rousing music, jingoiistic "Rah-rah America" platitudes, testosterone spraying all over the set, blah blah.  Well, I'm here to say that "Zero Dark Thirty" is not one of those films.  That's not to say that it's not patriotic or heroic.  It just achieves those ends in its own way.  Maybe having a woman directing it made the difference, who knows?  According to Bret Easton Ellis, Kathryn Bigelow's looks got her the recognition for it (although that tweet apparently never made it to the Academy).  Well Bret, I'm here to tell you, she's damned talented too.

Any movie where I know the outcome, but still am on the edge of my seat waiting for it to get to the outcome is a good movie in my book.  And Zero keeps you there.  It's basically a docu-drama told in a clinical way, but has the chops to keep you interested and in the action.  This is due in no small part to the cast, especially Jessica Chastain.  She's excellent - tough when needed, but with enough vulnerability to make the character of Maya likable.  And she's surrounded by a huge cast of interesting actors and actresses (Hi, Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice!  Hi, Michael from Lost!  Hi, Andy from Parks and Recreation!) that do a more than admirable job of portraying the folks who for ten years worked tirelessly to locate Bin Laden.

And that's another way the movie works - it doesn't fall back on coincidences or deus ex machina devices to get to the inevitable conclusion.  The work put into finding Bin Laden was long and laborious and not always pretty.  But these people had a job to do, and they did it as best they could. 

Yes, there are torture scenes in this.  A lot of them.  It may not make the USA look like the good guys every time, and Senator McCain might still get his Depends in a twist about it, but torture happened.  I know it, you know it, anyone with a brain knows it.  And if this story is accurate, Bin Laden would not be dead without it.  There's a lot to think about in this movie.  Do the ends justify the means?  Was a door closed on terrorism with the death of Bin Laden?  You may not come to any answers, but I applaud any film who dares to ask the question.

I think ultimately it gives you a new way of looking at heroism.  It's not all about the hero saving the day and wild celebrations when the Evil is vanquished.  It's exhausting, heart-breaking, and bleak.  The men and women of the CIA and the armed forces who brought about this moment in history may not have been the best people in the world, and they may have done things we as humans don't agree with, but they did their jobs to the best of their abilities.  Knowing that there are people out there like that makes me feel a little better sleeping tonight.