Zero Dark Thirty

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Nonsense. Torture is a very small part of this film and a part that our protagonist is clearly not comfortable with. Saying Zero Dark Thirty is pro torture is like saying Bugsy is pro organized crime. Or more precisely like saying The Aviator is pro being a shut in and pissing in bottles. It is an aspect of what was happening during this time, and one I'm glad Bigelow was not afraid to address.
I agree with seanc here, for the most part. I wouldn't say that torture is a small part of the film, but it certainly doesn't "justify" torture, like Bull said. The way it was shot, especially the beginning scenes, is intended to make the viewer sympathetic to the person being tortured. The CIA character is shot as menacing and harsh, while the character being tortured is shot in close-ups and you can see the humanity there. This isn't to say the film is anti-torture either, because at this point, the way the film is shot is to justify Jessica Chastain's initial unease with the process. As she gets more comfortable, torture is shown in a more perfunctory manner, usually on grainy videotapes. I thought Bigelow did a great job with this, and allowed the viewers to make their own judgments on the methods that were used, and whether they were justified or not.

I thought the film as a whole was very good. Bigelow has shown a gift for developing tension in her last two films, and Chastain was a revelation. Her character was developed really gradually and in an interesting manner, and it was refreshing that her character wasn't a female CIA agent, but a CIA agent who happens to be female. (Which, probably not coincidentally, is how Bigelow wants to be seen: not as a female director, but as a director who happens to be female. That probably won't be the case until there are more mainstream female directors, but that's another discussion entirely.)




This was a good movie, although I cant decide if id ever want to watch it again...



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I enjoyed this film more than argo. I found argo to be a let down.



I thought Chastain was solid throughout her performance. Overall I'd give the movie a 7 out of 10. RIP James Galdolfini