Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A tenacious woman is in the forefront of the greatest manhunt in history. Jessica Chastain is Maya, a lead member of a CIA think tank assigned with the task of tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden. Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal both won Academy Awards for their work on The Hurt Locker. Now they’ve taken another stab at the turmoil in the Middle East with Zero Dark Thirty. The title refers to the military designation of half an hour past midnight, when it’s dark enough that no one can see you coming.

I give Bigelow and Boal high marks for their unflinching depiction of CIA interrogation methods of torture in extracting information from Islamic detainees. Beatings, water boarding, sleep deprivation—it sure doesn’t leave much to the imagination. The film makes sly reference to the drastic policy shift in prisoner treatment after the administration change from Bush to Obama, and even though neither president is mentioned by name, it’s unmistakable in its implication.

The HD picture is exemplary. Bigelow heightens the stark sense of realism with the same handheld documentary style of photography she did with The Hurt Locker. Shot on practical locations and reconstructed sets, the look of Hollywood artificiality is nonexistent. Colors are bright and vivid, and skintones are consistent and even. The blood, sweat, and bruises of the tortured detainees are clear and sharp, and the shadow detail and contrasts between light and dark are visually striking. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is also first rate without showing off. Background ambience is subtle yet detailed, while the center-channel dialogue track comes through loud and clear. Sudden violent explosions will startle you if you’re not prepared for them, and they’re designed to. It’s another step the filmmakers take in putting you right in the middle of the action.

Extras are just four very short featurettes that cover the making of the film. What’s really disappointing is the complete absence of any material or reference detail to the actual events or the real people involved with them. Most noticeable is the omission of an audio commentary with Bigelow and Boal to give us any background into their research. Perhaps it’s still considered classified information or maybe the filmmakers are trying to imply that their depiction of the events is so historically accurate and self-explanatory that no peek into the backstory is necessary. Either way, it’s still very compelling cinema and worthy of your attention.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Sony, 2012
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5. 1
Length: 157 mins.
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton