Zero Dark Thirty

— I’m never sure what to do with dramatizations of historical events. I’m reasonably good at spotting the line between fiction and reality, and at understanding fictional characters are just that, but when someone as gifted as Katheryn Bigelow crafts a dramatization, it does change my perspective about what really happened. “Zero Dark Thirty” deserves all the praise it’s gotten but it really isn’t my favorite kind of movie. It was successful in drawing me into the narrative, but in the end it’s taken us inside a complex event that’s interesting mostly because Jessica Chastain manages to show so many sides of a complex person. I’d choose “Argo” over “Zero Dark Thirty” for most enjoyable dramatization of 2012, but both are exceptional films.

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[2012. 157 min. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler.]
http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/movies/jessica-chastain-in-zero-dark-thirty.html?_r=0