Zero Dark Thirty gallery
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Violence
Sex
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Zero Dark Thirty is a combination war movie, thriller, and docudrama about the intense, years-long hunt for Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 attacks, from the filmmakers behind The Hurt Locker. Perhaps the movie's most controversial element is its depiction of "waterboarding" and torturing prisoners for information. The movie shows this process as simultaneously effective and repellent. Overall, violence is strong -- not just in the torture sequences, but also in various other gun/shooting sequences, with dead bodies and lots of blood. But because the violence encourages interpretation and isn't just gratuitous, older teens should be able to handle it within the movie's context as an intelligent, complex story that's sure to inspire passionate discussion. Language is strong, with uses of "f--k" and "s--t," as well as sexual innuendo and some partial, nonsexual nudity. Characters are often seen smoking cigarettes or drinking in a background way.
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What's the story?
Following the 9/11 attacks on the United States, a CIA agent named Maya (Jessica Chastain) steps up the hunt for international terrorist Osama bin Laden. She witnesses the torture and "waterboarding" of one of bin Laden's underlings (possibly a nephew). And, over the next decade, the single-minded Maya follows many dead leads, loses many colleagues, and witnesses some devastating terrorist attacks. Yet even in her most painful defeats, she rarely wavers. She believes she has been spared from death to finish the job. Finally, she comes up with some fuzzy, tentative information as to where bin Laden may be hiding and, based on not much more than a strong hunch, launches her final attack.
Is it any good?
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Another filmmaker might have turned this material into either an exciting thriller or a serious condemnation of the whole brutal affair, but Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow does both at the same time. Her unique insight into violence has been the hallmark of her entire remarkable career, and ZERO DARK THIRTY is perhaps the most complex and ambitious of all her films to date.
Bigelow's steadfastly apolitical movie asks the audience to consider both the usefulness and the horror of "waterboarding," both before and after it's outlawed. But that controversial element is only a small part of the greater whole. The movie follows the outline of a true-crime procedural, but with many more dead ends than successes, it takes on a certain tragic tone. Bigelow includes little moments of rest and pause to humanize and refocus her heroine. Then, the film's final 40-minute attack sequence -- and its aftermath -- is a tour de force. Zero Dark Thirty is a towering achievement.
Families can talk about...
Families can talk about Zero Dark Thirty's violence. What's the impact of the torture scenes? How are they different from the climactic invasion sequence? From the opening depiction of 9/11? How does the movie challenge viewers to think about all these different forms of violence?
What keeps Maya doing this job -- hunting for little clues that may lead to Osama bin Laden -- for so many years? Is she a role model? Is she worth rooting for?
How can Zero Dark Thirty be labeled? How would you describe it to your friends? Is a movie that's difficult to label better than one that's easy to label?
Movie details
| Theatrical release date: | December 19, 2012 |
| DVD release date: | March 19, 2013 |
| Cast: | Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton |
| Director: | Kathryn Bigelow |
| Studio: | Columbia Pictures |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Topics: | History |
| Run time: | 157 minutes |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong violence including brutal disturbing images, and for language |
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Great Movie and no political slant
Just saw this with my wife. We both agreed that the torture scenes are a bit intense but milder than many action flicks and not as bad as some media portrayed. It made us discuss both the benefits of it and how bad it is at the same time. No over-dramatization of 911 or the military action. The movie is a bit long (my wife thought) but retained my interest all the way through. Seemed to show what would be intelligent reality in the pursuit of Bin Laden, extreme hard work by very intelligent and dedicated people. And intelligence by the terrorist.
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6th Best Movie of 2012
I really enjoyed this movie for its attention to detail and intensity to the situation. It is #6 in my favorites behind #5: Argo, #4: Skyfall, #3: Django Unchained, #2: The Dark Knight Rises, #1: Looper Which I also recommend to all. This contains pretty Strong Brutal Violence and Graphic Language especially the last 40 minutes. This has tons of mature themes and content including tourture and unexpected bombings. If you can't handle very intense materiel stay away.
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
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The Greatest Manhunt in History
Easily one of the best films of 2012. Jessica Chastain's performance is flawless and the supporting cast is great. I don't understand all the flak that Bigelow is getting about this because the torture scenes weren't too lengthy or graphic. Her direction is excellent, especially in the final scene where instead of making tons of commotion on screen and having obnoxious shaky cam, she lets the tension hang in the air with the power of silence and still keeps you on the edge of your seat. One of the most well-made movies I've ever seen. There is some nudity for about a minute or two when a man is being tortured and his bare backside is seen. Violence could be an issue because there is a few scenes with intense close range shooting but that is very infrequent. Suicide bombers are seen twice from aerial views. The f-word is thrown around about maybe twenty times, and about ten uses of s--t. Alcohol is seen being consumed various times. Positive role models are in Zero Dark Thirty, though, because Maya is a strong woman who does a job that primarily consists of men, better than most men, a lot like Kathryn Bigelow. A.
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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