“Do you realize what you just did? ” – Patrick, Squad Team Leader
Number of Times Seen – 2 (6 Jan 2013 and 4 Feb 2015)
Brief Synopsis – The manhunt for Bin Laden is spearheaded by CIA agents in Pakistan and over the years, they get closer and closer.
My Take on it – Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal did a great job of taking many pieces of a puzzle that spans nearly a decade and made a coherent story out of it all.
Yes, we will never know how much is true, how much is fictionalized/Hollywoodicized and how much is wrong. But when watching a movie like this…who cares???
The idea is to enjoy ourselves watching the CIA track down and find one of the host hated enemies of the USA. Taking that idea at face value makes this an enjoyable 2.5 hours.
The problem with this movie is that it feels too much like a paint by numbers puzzle while not following the order one by one instead they take everything that doesn’t fit together perfectly and just either gloss over it or ignore it.
I was a big shocked when this came out that it was compared to Bigelow’s previous movie The Hurt Locker (2008).
That movie had a protagonist who we felt for and wanted to see what would happen to him. Here, Jessica Chastain’s character seems move like a supporting character bent solely on revenge for her country. Yes, she also has felt some losses, but I think if we had a stringer connection to her and her motivations, this would have been an even better movie.
This is a very good movie, but IMHO, it’s not necessarily a movie worthy of a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
Bottom Line – A very interesting premise that helps put the pieces of the puzzle together but the narrative is lacking enough reasons to want to watch this unfold besides the revenge aspect. IMHO, this is not a movie that should have been nominated for Best Picture. Recommended!
Rating – Globe Worthy
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MovieRob 
I really liked this one. I liked the approach to the story and the patient buildup. But that said I really haven’t had an urge to see it again. That may be telling.
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😉
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Tnx for stopping by and commenting Keith! I think it does say a lot 😉
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Good review. It’s a long movie, but it’s so tense just about the whole way through that it hardly ever bothered me.
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I don’t think this movie was Oscar material either, but the op scenes were well done and overall I found the movie entertaining. Only saw it once, and that was enough.
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Agree. It was good entertainment period, but not much more. Tnx for stopping by and commenting!
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Never did watch this…. Think I’d be bored!
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Think so 😉
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Damn this movie! I have tried to watch it at least 4 times and always fell asleep. Not because it’s bad but because of my work hours. I have to agree though with the Jessica Chastain character, she is a bit cold and yes ‘supporty’ but I still liked her.
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good excuse 🙂
Tnx for stopping by and commenting!
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I actually loved this movie and debated watching it again since it’s now on Netflix. I remember it being long which is what scares me away. I thought Jessica Chastain was great, I chuckled every time she’d write something on the window with such attitude.
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I thought you like long movies 🙂
slight overacting 🙂
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