Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

ZERO DARK THIRTY  (2012)  ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: Kathryn Bigelow
    Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler,
    Jennifer Ehle, Harold Perrineau, Jeremy Strong
Kathryn Bigelow's black-ops procedural about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, starring Jessica Chastain as an obsessed CIA analyst who spends years on the case. The first 30 or 40 minutes are a trip to the dark side - a series of torture sessions in which Chastain and a fellow op (Jason Clarke) try to extract information from chained, filthy, sleep-deprived prisoners using "enhanced interrogation techniques." (How much useful intelligence was actually gained that way remains unclear.) Bigelow orchestrates the suspense and logistics with her customary cold-eyed skill, but character development is minimal and the emotional stakes remain relatively low. So, yeah, it's a well-made film and it raises questions that could (and probably should) make you feel uncomfortable. It might even get you rooting for the good-guy American commandos to nail the bastard who engineered the attacks on 9/11. Just don't be surprised if you feel a little dirty afterward.