Zero Dark Thirty
Maya is a hard character to figure out, because we know so little about her. We don't really learn about her past, or who she is. However, I don't blame this as a fault on the screenplay credited to Mark Boal. Her obsession becomes so strong, it literally defines her. The mission becomes all the more personal to her as the film goes on. When Maya is sent overseas to an undisclosed CIA "Black Site" at the beginning of the film, she seems in over her head as she is forced to watch her superior, Dan (Jason Clarke) interrogate and torture a suspected al-Qaeda prisoner. At first, she can hardly seem to look at the pathetic prisoner chained by his arms to the ceiling, as American operatives try to get information from him. But, during the course of the film, her demeanor hardens, and we see how her mission and her job essentially takes over her entire life.
Zero Dark Thirty opens with a brilliant sequence that comprises simply of actual 911 calls on September 11th, 2001 over a black screen. In a way, this helps put us into a similar mindset as the lead heroine. Who did not want to see justice done on that day? For Maya, her desire for justice is fueled by the various attacks that happened during the eight years she spent on the job. We witness dramatic recreations of some dark moments, including the U.K. bombings, the destruction of a Marriott Hotel in Pakistan, and the Camp Chapman attack which occurred on December 30th, 2009. This moment in particular seems to be the breaking point for Maya, and becomes the moment where the obsession consumes her. This woman, who once seemed out of place amongst her superiors, now finds the strength to stand up to her boss, Special Agent Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), when he threatens to shut down her operation.
Maya is quite simply the strongest female lead we've had in a movie in a while. She is strong and determined, and yet quite likable and sympathetic. She knows how to use all of her resources, as well as how to make herself stand out in a largely male-dominated field. The movie doesn't really play up this aspect all that much. We admire her simply for who she is and what she is doing, not just because she just happens to be a woman who is doing these things. This is also a movie that's obviously been researched quite meticulously. It really does give you the feeling that you are watching these events unfold, rather than a dramatization. In this regard, the movie somewhat resembles Ben Affleck's Argo - Both films are able to draw so much tension and drama out of a situation we're already familiar with before we walk into the theater. In the case of this film, it's covering a much more recent moment of history, so it's probably more admirable that Bigelow is able to keep things interesting.
The last half hour of the film is devoted to the assault on bin Laden's compound. Even then, the movie does not allow us to forget about Maya's involvement, even though she was not there that night. The script expertly balances the tension of the actual raid, and the tension that must have been felt back home as they were waiting for word. The fact that we get to witness many of the steps that led to the assault makes it all the more nerve-wracking. We realize how hard it was to get the information, and even though we already know the outcome, we can feel the pressure of these people not knowing how things would turn out. If everything turned out to be in vain, or if the mission failed (which it comes dangerously close to before the assault can even begin), all the work would have been for nothing. This film makes us feel closer to the events that unfolded behind the scenes in a way that only a documentary could match.
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