Bin Laden docu-drama packs a mighty wallop

CHASTAIN. One country’s hero is another ideology’s heel.

Osama Bin Laden didn’t use conventional methods to initiate his jihadist mission against the United States of America and its allies: On Sept. 11, 2001, 13 years after he founded al-Qaeda, almost 3,000 people perished in a series of coordinated terrorist bombings in New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-bound “Zero Dark Thirty” reveals the operation that captured the man with the $25-million bounty—and the relentless woman behind the decade-long manhunt!

The searing docu-drama raises a lot of moral and ethical questions about its depiction of torture and the way its antiterrorist agents obtain clues that lead them to their elusive target. We see the horrors of the War on Terror through the eyes of CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain) who, while wincing at the sight of writhing and whimpering detainees, acknowledges that torture, humiliation and “extraordinary renditions” are a justifiable means to achieve a key objective.

After following one red herring after another, she becomes good at extracting information from both willing and unwilling sources. From thousands of leads, the stubborn, never-say-die agent manages to single out Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti—who turns out to be Bin Laden’s personal courier!

Expensive bribe

Acceptance on a masculine turf doesn’t come easy for Maya, however—which poses a dilemma even after she endures assassination attempts and the deaths of colleagues. But, a break in the surveillance involving Abu Ahmed’s mother and brother—as well as a very expensive bribe—suggests that she just might be on the right track.

Can Maya’s team convince President Barack Obama and the Central Intelligence Agency to launch a raid on a three-story compound located on a lonely dirt road just a kilometer away from Pakistan’s top military academy? Problem is, only Maya is certain that the place belongs to Osama bin Laden! What to do?

We know how the operation at “0 dark 30” on May 2, 2011 turned out—but, on film, Bigelow captures the momentous series of events by eschewing Hollywood’s predictable action staging for something less formulaic—and more realistic.

The explosive actioner chronicles Operation Neptune Spear in detail, but smartly does away with the slam-bang narrative tricks that Tinseltown’s action flicks are famous for. There isn’t much fanfare when Bin Laden finally “falls”—and neither are there whoops nor yelps of victory when Maya finally confirms the fallen man’s identity.

Disturbing scenes

Bigelow’s event-driven exposition wouldn’t have gained much dramatic traction and thematic pertinence had Maya been portrayed by an actress of a lesser caliber than Jessica Chastain. Amidst “Zero Dark Thirty’s” most disturbing scenes, the chameleon-like actress functions as the movie’s emotional conduit that sets man apart from his actions—and the sinner from his sins.

But, on her way home, when Maya boards a C-130 military plane alone and begins to cry, you realize that not even the most terrifying acts of war could dull her humanity. Unfortunately, one country’s hero is another ideology’s heel!