merelyaninnuendo Zero Dark ThirtyBetween all the factual accuracy and controversies and unfortunate events the film fails to bind all of these into one entertaining drama resulting into an exhausting experience of 156 minutes of just plain old news. Zero Dark Thirty is of course written explicitly and executed with conviction but there is not a single lose thread for the audience to hang on to it until the curtain drops. Jessica Chastain holds on to her part of the role tightly till the end and is convincing throughout being aware of the pressure she has on this project since she is the only glue that binds it all and if they'd have given that character more gravitas and depth along with some high pitched dramatic sequences, it would have just worked. Zero Dark Thirty is the slow pill that takes its time offering weird sensations and some pain along the long road and then results into being the same old pain killer.

doublevinegar Very well made. There's very little real military action, most of the story is tedious intelligence work. It's essentially a decade long search for Osama bin Laden's hiding location. Nonetheless, it's filled with tension and a few surprising turns of events. The CIA's portrayal is balanced I guess? The film doesn't shy away from "rendition" and the invasion of Afghanistan or the WMD in Iraq fiasco. The MC is a great operative, great intuitions and very persistent, but she's also quite cruel. She said she'd rather drop a bomb on the compound than using the special forces. There're kids in the compound, I'm glad they sent in the canaries instead. I wish they'd included more of Obama's input. Originally the CIA didn't have a exist plan, they assumed the diplomats would sort it out with the Pakistani government even if the canaries were captured, Obama insisted they made an exist plan. These little things show how politicians and CIA think differently.

dylanhenty This film has some stand out scenes with brilliant cinematography, good acting, and takes a very unbiased view about highly controversial events- it lets you (largely) make up your own mind about the characters motives, and actions. However, it is drawn out and too long. If you don't mind occasional ups and downs in quality and are interested in the director or the events, then give it a go.

dncorp Facts 1993 to 2001 Democrat President Clinton Destroyed the U.S. Defense (U.S. Military, U.S. Intelligence Agencies, U.S. Department of State (U.S. Defense Related Programs, like the U.S. Department of State's very Profitable Foreign Military Sales Program), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and many other U.S. Agencies U.S. Defense Related Programs). Democrat President Clinton "Lost Osama Bin Laden" after the Osama Bin Laden 1993 First World Trade Center Attack.Worldwide the U.S. no longer Funded U.S. Funded "Local" Intelligence Assets, that took Decades for the CIA to covertly Recruit (usually Citizens of the Target Nation), covertly Train, and covertly place into "Hostile" Nations, "Potentially Hostile" Nations, "Anti U.S." Nations, and some "Friendly Nations" (Allied Nations).To Further Destroy U.S. Intelligence (that had been built up by Director of the CIA H.W. Bush, and as U.S. President H.W. Bush) Democrat President Clinton signed into U.S. Law his, No Intelligence Sharing Law, in that U.S. Agencies cannot "Information Share" between U.S. Agencies nor with U.S. Allies Agencies. Translation the CIA could no longer "Information Share" with the FBI, nor could the FBI "Information Share" with the CIA. The CIA could no longer "Information Share" with the Mossad, British Ministry of Intelligence (M.I.). 1998 Democrat President Declared War Against U.S. Ally Iraq, by Demanding U.S. Congress Declare War in his 1998 State of the Union Address "Weapons of Mass Destruction", "Dictator Iraqis President Saddam Hussein" (A Lie, British Style Parliamentary Form of Government), "Murdering His Own People" (another Lie, the Millions of Shia of Iraq (Iranians, that fled Iran after the 1979 U.S.S.R. backed Overthrow of U.S. Ally Shah of Iran), and the Millions of Kurdistanis as Allied to the Muslim Nation of Iran are NOT Actual Iraqis (Arabs, Sunnis), and actually fought against the Actual Iraqis during the Iran Iraq Wars 1980 to 1989 as the Longest Conventional War of History). The Result was the U.S. House of Representatives Declaration of War Against U.S. Ally Iraq, "Iraq Liberation Act of 1998" as the Democrat's "Overthrow of Iraqis President Saddam Hussein, Liberate the Iraqis People, Install A Democracy". This was then followed by Democrat President Clinton's Ordered as Commander In Chief 1998 U.S. Military Operation Desert Fox, as more intensive U.S. Airstrikes and U.S. Cruise Missile Attacks against the Muslims at Baghdad U.S. Ally Iraq, Democrat President Clinton's mistaken ignorant belief that by attacking the Civilians at the Overcrowded Urban Poor Areas of Baghdad Iraq, they would Revolt against "Dictator" Iraqis President Saddam Hussein, Muslims do not play that kind of games and directly blamed those that attacked them, "U.S. The Great Satan", a hundreds of thousands of Innocent Muslim Men, Women, and Lots (too many) Children were Murdered. To Gain Support for Himself, his Al Quada,Osama Bin Laden Declared Revenge for the Murders of the Innocent Poor of Islam, the Muslim Nation of Iran then backed Osama Bin Laden and so did most of the over 1.5 Billion Muslims Worldwide, money from the Mandatory Islamic Tithes from the over 1.5 Billion Muslims Worldwide flowed into Osama Bin Laden's and his Al Quada's pockets.Translation, That's Correct Democrat President Clinton was the CAUSE of the 1993 Osama Bin Laden First World Trade Center Attack, and the Second Osama Bin Laden World Trade Center Attack as the 9/11 2001 Attacks. Just like Democrat President Clinton CAUSED the 2008 Great Recession, by Eliminating the U.S. Laws, Banking Acts of 1933 and 1935, and having Amended the Community Reinvestment Act to cause the Mortgage Crisis, Destruction of the U.S. Defense also caused the Recession of 1998.CIA Operation Neptune Spear After the Osama Bin Laden Second Attack of the World Trade Center, as the 9/11 2001 Attacks, Republican President G.W. Bush tasked the CIA to create a Plan to Locate and Capture Osama Bin Laden. U.S. Army Special Forces Lieutenant General McChrystal and U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. Admiral McRaven wrote CIA Operation Neptune Spear. Within weeks after the 9/11 2001 Attacks the CIA with attached U.S. Army Special Forces attempted CIA Operation Neptune Spear and Failed due to Democrat President Clinton's 1993 to 2001 Destruction of the U.S. Defense, the U.S. no longer Funded U.S. Local Afghan Intelligence Assets to assist the CIA Teams to get to "Safe Houses (Locations)", evade the Millions of Afghan Taliban, Locate Osama Bin Laden in a Nation the size of Texas with 2/3rds being Mountains.Democrat President Obama fearing a Failure that would destroy his Political Career (Re Election) "Politically Distanced" himself (again), so the Director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, using the Republican President G.W. Bush Presidential Executive Orders, CIA Operation Neptune Spear, G.W. Bush 2006 Amended U.S. No Assassination Policy, conducted CIA Operation Neptune Spear from a CIA SCIF, not the White House that was only full of spectators.This is NOT a matter of likes or dislikes this is Facts of Actual Written U.S. Laws, U.S. Government Documents, U.S. Congressional Records.