Zero Dark Thirty (*****)

Kathryn Bigelow is quickly cementing herself as the premiere filmmaker of the day. Following her Oscar triumph for 'The Hurt Locker,' 'Zero Dark Thirty' nearly blows it out of the water. A film of sophistication, intelligence, and craft, the epic manhunt for Osama Bin Laden is gloriously brought to life without a flaw to be found.

Following the nearly decade-long manhunt following September 11th, the film brutally treks the hunt not just for Bin Laden, but his associates and counterparts. Hiding throughout all corners of the Middle East, we are given a clear understanding of the means by which some would go to capture the ultimate target. Opening on the torture of one such terrorist, we see waterboarding, humiliation, starvation - all at the hands of CIA and military persons. It's not pretty, and it sets the tone for the rest of the story.

One such CIA operative is simply known as Maya, played by Jessica Chastain. We learn she was recruited right out of high school. She's been hunting Bin Laden for 12 years. She has no boyfriend, she has no friends. This mission is her life. Another director might have played into the female element when depicting such a character. Not Bigelow - Maya is strong-willed and trumps all her counterparts. She is one of the most sharply-written and heroic female characters I can remember in quite some time, and Chastain is the perfect actor to fill her shoes.

What you might remember from news stories is perhaps true, perhaps not - perhaps the film embellishes certain aspects of the story. Who's to say for sure. As a film itself, 'Zero Dark Thirty' speeds by with such a clear goal that the audience barely has time to catch a breath (despite its nearly 3 hour length).

What else can be surmised in a brief review for such a monumental film? The interest comes not in the actual raid (depicted in a tense 30 minute finale to the film) but in the slow buildup, false leads, acts of terrorism, all with Maya at the heart. The Oscars truly did some injustices towards this film - Kathryn Bigelow's absence from the Best Director nominees is sinful, as is the omission of a truly great Original Score. Regardless, this is a film that will perhaps come to define the post-9/11 mindset of our country and serve as a reminder of the great year for film 2012 was.

(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Chastain), Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing)