- War gets results with loss of
self-worth
I'm really not surprised that this
movie was nominated for Best Picture. The hunt for Osama Bin Laden
was one that was very real and always in the foreground of public
consciousness for so many years. The movie is up for five different
Oscars: Sound editing, Editing, Original Screenplay, Leading Actress
and of course, the most important Oscar, best film. Looking at the
other nominated films in all of those categories – though I haven't
seen them all yet, I am very doubtful it will win any of them
although it could steal one. I'll go into more detail below with my
problems of the film, but one of the categories it was nominated for
was in my opinion one of the very reasons the movie was not
satisfactory. I admit maybe I'm reading too much into the well-known
fact that most of the jury for nominations is over the age of 50 and
many are known to be Republican but I do feel American-based war
films are getting nominated very often due to some sort of jingoistic
reason that feeds their collective nationalist ego. Not that it
didn't bring forth a greater good but the film story pats itself on
the back too much.
I really should have known the movie
was going to go over the top with this tone. With war, terrorism and
the technological age that we live, in the first two are closer to us
than ever before, I first heard about this project I believe days
after the fact that the mastermind behind so many deaths across so
many countries had been killed. If it had been about anybody else
one may have even shouted “too soon” but for someone so despised
in the western world, it is overlooked that he was a person and
killed without judge or jury. This is important as this movie has no
problems showing that, as in this based on a true story, it is
exactly what happens.
The movie begins with a brief audio
clip from assumed events from 9/11 and updating the viewer if you
hadn't known this was about Osama Bin Laden (OBL) and the almost true
events that lead to his capture and quick death. We are introduced
to Dan (played by Jason Clarke) and Maya (played by Jessica Chastain). Dan is the lead torturer
during the Bush administration just a few years after 9/11. He's
good at his job, is seen as a person who loves tiny monkeys and ice
cream, and who is not really big on hygiene. I wish he had more
characterization because I think there is a good story in a character
who, by his country's own hand, is asked to torture people for
information and then has to live with the consequences. However I've
just about given all major details about Dan here. He's incredibly
under-utilized and as I felt he was one of the more interesting
characters, the movie ultimately suffers. Maya then takes over the
search for OBL during the Obama administration where there is a no
torture policy, they touch on this briefly on the changed stance.
She, like Dan, could be a very interesting character but they
cookie-cut her out of a girl against the world character and she
doesn't like the rules. She is insubordinate, uses crass language
and nobody believes her incredibly flimsy leads even though you the
viewer and herself know she is so right.
She breaks character a few times and has a few tearful moments but
they seem incredibly forced and unrealistic to the strong-headed
character shown in the rest of the movie.
Red, White, Blue and Jessica Chastain. |
The movie claims it
is based on the true story from one of the men present during the
successful attack on OBL's compound. The CIA has come out and said
that it's pretty much false. Who do you believe? Both, neither. It
doesn't matter. As there are so many other things suspicious about
the movie, I'd suggest you watch it as a fluff piece and take nothing
too seriously I did and I came out enjoying the movie a little more
at least. The acting is probably the strongest part of it, I have no
qualms with Jessica Chastain getting the nod for Best Actress, I
don't really think she'll get it but not because she was bad but
because her character and the script for her just wasn't that strong.
She has two small emotional sequences as I said but her character at
least for one of them really shouldn't have wept. They had built her
up as a very aggressive, gets what she wants character and I felt she
should have been filled with contempt and hatred which is shown the
next day but it felt out of place.
If you watch this
movie with the intent of getting the truth you will be disappointed.
If you go into Zero Dark Thirty for a thriller movie that uses some
names you're familiar with you'll enjoy it a little more.
I give it a 6/10
PS: If they wrote a
better script I'd give Jessica Chastain the Oscar myself.
I more or less agree with you, though I think I ended up liking it slightly more than you.
ReplyDeleteI had the ending ruined for me. Thanks, Obama!
He should have used a spoiler tag in his speech.
ReplyDelete