Movie Thoughts: Zero Dark Thirty

1.)  Really enjoyed the acting in this one.  With the exception of Jessica Chastain, there isn't a ton of time spent developing other characters.  The whole thing comes together really well.  Even characters that we see a little bit of give us enough to have a sense of who they are.  Remember the Fugitive with Harrison Ford.  It's like that.  The background/secondary characters aren't flat and they work.

2.)  I cannot get enough of Chris Pratt.  Pratt is best known for playing Andy on Parks and Rec.  He's in this movie and is fantastic in the little bit that he's been given.  This is the second movie inspired by a true story that he's killed it in.  He was great as Scott Hatteberg in Moneyball as well.

3.)  Book dovetails nicely with my recent reading of Decision Points which I reviewed.  I felt much higher stakes having read W's memoirs.

4.)  Zero Dark Thirty raised issues of the efficiency and ethics of torture that have been dormant since W turned the keys over to President Obama.*  I'd like to take this opportunity to point you towards one of my favorite authors over at BaseballCrank.com, Dan McLaughlin.  The first essay I'd suggest is titled With the Death of Osama bin Laden, We're All Hawks Now.  I mainly agree with the whole essay.  The only spot I think that Crank stretches is Point B RE:  Iraq, which reeks of a proximate cause problem.  The second essay is Inconvenient Facts About The Takedown of Osama bin Laden.  Great essay about torture and the conversation about torture.  He's a must follow at @BaseballCrank.

5.)  Spoilers!  Osama bin Laden is dead.  In spite of knowing how the story ends, the final 25 minutes are tense and fantastic.  Kind of reminds me of Apollo 13 in that respect.

6.)  I'll always remember the morning I found out that bin Laden had been snuffed out.  I got dressed to the following song:

RECOMMENDATION:  Must see for everyone over the age of 14.  Not much to be squemish about here.  Great movie.

* Why am I so comfortable using "W" when referencing George W. Bush, but hesitant to short President Barack Obama?  Must be some desire to make nice with my left-leaning friends.