'When you lie to me, I hurt you...'

Lies are bad allies, period. If you weren’t taught this principle while growing up, then you most certainly will learn it very quickly during a CIA interrogation, especially if you are a terrorist. 

In her latest movie, director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), gives a very surreal interpretation of the capturing of Osama Bin Laden. For 13 years the world has been following the cat-and-mouse game between America’s clandestine agencies and the leader of the extremist group – Al Qaeda. In ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, we get to witness his demise and the events that lead up to it.

Bigelow was actually set to start filming another movie when they received news of the raid on Bin Laden’s compound, and his subsequent death. They immediately altered course and started drafting a new script. Fortunately, much of the groundwork done for the first film came in handy and production for ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ could start right away. 

In the world of espionage, the greatest virtue any intelligence agency or agent can possess, is that of patience. Much of the film’s concept also revolves around this. 

Most of us, to our annoyance, are bound, often limited by time in our careers. When you work for the CIA, and are pursuing one of the most dangerous men on the face of the earth, extracting information from co-conspirators is given all the time necessary. That’s good news for the hunters, it's bad news for the terrorists.

‘Zero Dark Thirty’ manages to convey this message really well. America is in it for the long haul when it comes to bringing to justice those who inflict terror upon her citizens, and they will find you, no matter where you are in the world. The characters, for most of the time, also gave some exciting performances. Jessica Chastian, who plays ‘Maya’, is not only a pretty face in this movie, but also the face of a calculating operative that won’t become derailed in her attempts at succeeding in finding Bin Laden. 

Jason Clarke, who plays the character ‘Dan’, also manages to portray his character’s inner turmoil quite accurately. He knows he has a job to do, he knows there are plenty of lives at stake, including his own. But even suffering emotionally as a result of ‘seeing to many naked tortured men’, is simply part of the job description and the characters in this movie certainly knows that.  

In contrast to Clarke and Chastian, Jennifer Ehle and Mark Strong’s performances were slightly methodical, and it shows.   Ehle who plays Maya’s senior CIA analyst, at times delivered her dialogue with inflections and rhythms almost more accurate in style than Meryl Streep herself. Strong appears to have had some coaching from Al Pacino for his character, but comes across as being confused between just following his teaching and copying the master himself. 

With minor flaws like this, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ still managed to be nominated for five Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and won for Best Sound Editing.

It’s a gritty movie and will keep you entertained until the very end with its steady storyline. Bigelow really did succeed in sustaining the suspense throughout the entire film, and the shifts in momentum you'll encounter is superb. 

If there is one thing you'll take away with you from this movie then it's this: if you are a terrorist and get caught, redeem yourself and co-operate, because 'When you lie to me, I hurt you.’