Ashdoc's movie review---Zero dark thirty

[ashdoc]

Osama Bin Laden---the man who dared to take on the might of the most powerful nation on planet earth in the most astonishing manner possible---in a way not even dreamed up by American fiction writers....

The moment he did so , he was a marked man.....

But the onus was on the USA to find him and kill him---it was a question of honour and justice and of prestige.....The world had to be reminded that you cant target the USA without terrible repurcussions on yourself....

But where to find him ?? Especially in a position where elements of the Pakistani establishment were in cahoots with him and protecting him....

Not surprisingly , it was a long and hard wait to get to him.....

And to get him a CIA agent called as Maya worked painstakingly for years in Pakistan collecting information bit by bit till she hit paydirt....

But until she hit paydirt , she had to go through plenty of disappointments and see many tragedies unfold---and she had to see this happening for many years....

Bombs exploded in places where she was eating ( like Marriott hotel ) , she lost her colleagues in terrorist attacks and she herself became a target for assassination bids as news leaked out that she was a CIA agent---but she was unwavering in her devotion to the task of getting Bin Laden....

During this time she rejected any idea of romance in personal life and became detached from her family.....
People who worked with her , including torturers who were beyond caring about human pain , also got tired of their brutal task and left for other more comfortable shores....

But in the end it was a triumph for Maya....so triumphant that a large part of the movie focuses on her and in essence she is the heroine of the movie....

Of course , in the end the raid to kill Bin Laden was carried out by other people , but it was her decisive pinpointing done after extensive research that made it possible....

The movie begins with torture scenes of suspected Al Qaeda members which may make one cringe....and they make even Maya flinch for a moment....

But this tough lady goes through seeing it all and survives grittily to stick to her task....

The movie has expletives being used continually by all Americans---and the word fcuk is most used.....even by Maya , who introduces herself as the motherfcuker who pinpointed the target to the commitee that has to approve the mission to kill Bin Laden.....

And she uses the word in a way that would warm the cockles of your heart if you are a true patriotic Indian ( like I fancy myself to be )---she calls Pakistan a fcuked up country in a way no Bollywood ( of pak appeasement fame ) movie has dared to call in recent times.....Bravo Hollywood !!

The raid which kills Laden is shown like a thriller with a touch of suspense.....and also with some comic relief as a US commando begins to call out ' Osama , Osama ' while searching for him in the house , as if Osama really was going to come out !!---Now did that really happen ??

Acting by the actress playing Maya is great , and the filming of the raid on Osama's house has been done with military precision.....

And in the end you conclude that the USA is made of manly men and courageous women who are kind to those who seek shelter and are unforgivingly vengeful to those who have done them harm---and I wish some of these qualities were embibed by my countrymen....
And I wished that we Indians could similarly rain death on those who seek our destruction....

And with that thought for you to ponder , I conclude....

Verdict---Good .

 

[W.G.Ewald]

I have watched it twice.

The final scene where Maya flies out as the lone passenger in a C130 is not believable. She is shown crying. No reason for tears.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

The movie begins with torture scenes of suspected Al Qaeda members which may make one cringe....and they make even Maya flinch for a moment....

Hollywood Snubs Best Film as 'Zero Dark Thirty' Odds Fade - Bloomberg

"Zero Dark Thirty," the best- reviewed film of 2012, has become an Oscar longshot because of a political backlash in Hollywood over its depiction of torture in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Since early January, Kathryn Bigelow's critically praised movie has sunk to fifth from third among likely best-picture winners at GoldDerby.com, which ranks award prospects. Actors Ed Asner and David Clennon urged academy voters to snub the Sony Corp. film. Author Naomi Wolf called Bigelow "torture's handmaiden" and compared her to Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl.

The outcry from Washington and influential industry voices has made "Zero Dark Thirty" a tough vote for left-leaning Hollywood. It's led to a split between academy members disturbed by torture scenes that imply waterboarding and other harsh methods worked, and others who defend the filmmakers' right to free speech and artistic freedom.

"The general political persuasion in Hollywood has more to do with it than any particular actors," said former Republican U.S Senator Fred Thompson, who's appeared in dozens of films and TV shows including "Law & Order." "If they perceive that this movie somehow adopts the Bush narrative, that could affect the movie."

 

[Singh]

I loved it. Although they showed India in some scenes.

 

[Blackwater]

I loved it. Although they showed India in some scenes.

they showed India to show India or to show pakistan as they cant go there to shoot??

 

[Singh]

They showed Pakistan in India, but in some scenes they weren't able to mask it.

 

[Singh]

I have watched it twice.

The final scene where Maya flies out as the lone passenger in a C130 is not believable. She is shown crying. No reason for tears.

Women, eh

Although, to me, spending several trillion dollars to find OBL or on WoT just doesn't make economic sense.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Women, eh

Although, to me, spending several trillion dollars to find OBL or on WoT just doesn't make economic sense.

I think much of that money was for "nation building" in Afghanistan or aid to Pakistan.

 

[nrupatunga]

Yes, movie is good. But if i remember correctly the raymond davies saga is not shown in the movie. Anyways am not sure if he was behind catch obl program.

I think much of that money was for "nation building" in Afghanistan or aid to Pakistan.

The bold part is actually not a "nation building" activity either in pakistan or in afghanistan or even for US.

 

[DivineHeretic]

The movie was almost a documentary, not that I disliked it. The Natgeo documentary was much better imo.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Yes, movie is good. But if i remember correctly the raymond davies saga is not shown in the movie. Anyways am not sure if he was behind catch obl program.

Davis's activities in Pakistan

It is alleged that following his arrest, the police recovered photographs of sensitive areas and defence installations from Davis's camera, among which included snapshots of the Bala Hisar Fort, the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps in Peshawar and of the Pakistan Army's bunkers on the Eastern border with India. The Government of Punjab considered Davis a security risk after the recovery of the photos.[68] Prosecutors also suggested that Davis be charged with espionage.[68] In particular Davis main espionage activities were against Lashkar-e-Taiba[69] and Pakistan's nuclear facilities.[70]

On February 28, DawnNews reported that law enforcement agencies arrested 45 individuals in Pakistan for staying in constant contact with Davis.[71] Other media reported at the same time that at least 30 suspected covert American operatives have suspended their activities in Pakistan and 12 have already left the country.[72]

Many analysts believe Washington halted the CIA drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which had been occurring at the average rate of two to three per week since 2008, after Raymond Davis was arrested. There were no reported drone attacks from January 23, four days before the Raymond Davis incident, until February 21.[73][74][75][76][77][78]

CIA activities in Pakistan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Operation Cannonball, an American Central Intelligence Agency was disclosed in 2008.[9] Began in 2006, it was intended as part of an effort to capture Osama Bin Laden and eliminate Al Qaeda forces in Pakistan.[9] The operation was reportedly hampered by conflicts between CIA offices, leading to large delays in the deployment of the program.[9] The existence of the covert program, and its various internal conflicts, was revealed to the public by the New York Times on June 30, 2008.[10] The New York Times article was said to be "exposing highly classified Pentagon orders".[10]

In July 2008, CIA officials confronted Pakistan officials with evidence of ties between Inter-Services Intelligence and Jalaluddin Haqqani.[11] ISI refutes this report.[12]