'Zero Dark Thirty': What's the story behind the film about bin Laden?
The new trailer for Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow鈥檚 paints a tense, but vague, picture of their film 鈥� which is about the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden that culminated with Navy SEAL Team Six鈥檚 successful raid on the al-Qaeda head鈥檚 compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.聽We all know what the final outcome was, so the devil鈥檚 in the details.
Bigelow and Boal have been playing things close to the chest on Zero Dark Thirty, so much so that was technically the first official confirmation of the film鈥檚 cast. The new promo doesn鈥檛 shed light on how the duo are compressing so much information into a coherent narrative, though it does offer a quick sketch of the more central players in the film.
Judging by the new trailer, it appears Zero Dark Thirty partially centers on the efforts of an intelligence agent played by Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life, The Help), who uncovers vital information that could lead U.S. military forces to bin Laden鈥檚 secret location. However, we also glimpse important participants like Mark Strong and Kyle Chandler as fellow CIA agents, Joel and Nash Edgerton as members of SEAL Team Six, and James Gandolfini 鈥� who has confirmed is playing the current Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.
Overall, according to Bigelow (via听贰奥), there are over 100 speakings roles in Zero Dark Thirty, including 鈥渢eams of operatives, from [Department of Defense], CIA, Navy SEALs, et al. that intersect with foreign nationals and enemy combatants.鈥� So, although Chastain and Strong get the most screen time in the trailer, this is very much going to be an ensemble piece.
Now, as we鈥檝e discussed in the past, there鈥檚 no doubt that Bigelow and Boal have their work cut out for them. It doesn鈥檛 matter how exhaustively they鈥檝e researched 鈥� or how few liberties they take with the facts 鈥� Zero Dark Thirty is going to take a pounding from all corners of the political spectrum, with contradictory accusations about its alleged socio-political biases and fabrications flying in every direction聽(thank goodness the U.S. election will be over by that point).
However, few filmmakers know how to create pulse-pounding suspense and nerve-wracking thrills like Bigelow. Plus, she and Boal demonstrated they know how to create enthralling cinema together with the Best Picture-winning . So, on those grounds, this movie鈥檚 easily worth recommending for anyone who鈥檚 just interested in an intense, well-acted viewing experience.
Sandy Schaefer blogs at .
