Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writer:

Mark Boal

Stars:

Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt

Won 1 Oscar. Another 87 wins & 171 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Clarke	...	Dan
Reda Kateb	...	Ammar
Jessica Chastain	...	Maya
Kyle Chandler	...	Joseph Bradley
Jennifer Ehle	...	Jessica
Harold Perrineau	...	Jack
Jeremy Strong	...	Thomas
J.J. Kandel	...	J.J.
Wahab Sheikh	...	Detainee on Monitor
Alexander Karim	...	Detainee on Monitor
Nabil Elouahabi	...	Detainee on Monitor
Aymen Hamdouchi	...	Detainee on Monitor
Simon Abkarian	...	Detainee on Monitor
Ali Marhyar	...	Interrogator on Monitor
Parker Sawyers	...	Interrogator on Monitor

Storyline

Maya is a CIA operative whose first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. on the 11th September 2001. She is a reluctant participant in extreme duress applied to the detainees, but believes that the truth may only be obtained through such tactics. For several years, she is single-minded in her pursuit of leads to uncover the whereabouts of Al Qaeda's leader, Osama Bin Laden. Finally, in 2011, it appears that her work will pay off, and a U.S. Navy SEAL team is sent to kill or capture Bin Laden. But only Maya is confident Bin Laden is where she says he is.

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Plot Keywords:

al qaeda | torture | afghan pakistan border | male nudity | lie | 

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Taglines:

For ten years one woman never stopped searching for the most wanted man in history

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

11 January 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kill Bin Laden

Filming Locations:

Chandigarh, Punjab, India

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$417,150, 23 December 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$95,720,716, 31 March 2013

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$132,820,716

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Annapurna Pictures, First Light Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 1:10 into the DVD, a Sony ST-80F tuner and matching TA-88 amplifier, 1969 vintage, can be seen on the top shelf of the bookcase.

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Goofs

The QRF helicopter in which the SEALs are extracted is shown to be a single, MH-6OK Black Hawk when in fact the QRF consisted of three Chinook helicopters from the 160th SOAR. Most likely MH-47e.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dan: I own you, Ammar.

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Crazy Credits

All of the credits, except for the studio logo, appear at the end of the film, including the title.

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Connections

Featured in Loose Canon: 9/11 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Pavlov's Dogs
Written by Charles Maggio, Keith Huckins, Andrew Gormley, Nick Forte III and Chris Laucella
Performed by Rorschach
Courtesy of Gern Blandsten Records

User Reviews

High quality (little action) and realistic depiction of the hunt for Bin Laden

It's not an action flick, it's a thriller. About a tough CIA-chick who has a hunch about a guy who might eventually lead them to Osama Bin Laden. It takes her almost 10 years, a little waterboarding, a couple of dead colleagues and a lot of arguing with her superiors, but she manages to follow the lead all the way to the now famous raid in Abbottabad.

It's a very captivating film (even with its 160 minutes runtime), and the big raid at the end is quite intense and realistic. That said, Bigelow's previous 'The Hurt Locker' was (even) better. But it's close!

As for the controversy whether the film is 'pro-torture propaganda' or not: it shows what (likely) happened. A very unpleasant sight for Americans, sure, but that's no reason to leave it out. Whether or not 'OBL' would've been caught without the use of torture is speculation that has no place in this movie (it's a depiction of events, not a moral study).

Some Americans might still find it hard to watch a movie that requires you to form your own opinion about the actions of your country/government/army, instead of getting one spoon fed by those very same institutions. But given the America's options in government- potential it seems a luxury Americans no longer have.