September 11th, 2001 is one of the most important days in American history. Kathryn Bigelow’s thrilling story of the decade long manhunt that eventually brought the world’s most wanted man was likely an equally important contribution to cinema. The long and strategic development of Jessica Chastain’s character Maya Lambert as she works to find Osama bin Laden is unparalleled by any other female performer I’ve seen thus far. She begins as a young CIA analyst, weak stomached but brave. In her first few interrogations she contrasts her counterpart Dan, played by Jason Clarke, who is a worn intelligence specialist, merciless to the prisoners he is presented with. As the years go on we witness Maya Lambert earn her stars and become a stronger agent than any of those she is works with. By the end of the film, Maya is the perfect example of how a young agent will transform when exposed to the ungodly field she was placed in.

A huge criticism in the film was its use of torture methods to prisoners of war, with many reviews saying that the film suggested torture was the only way answers could be achieve. What I believe many of its critics took out of their perspective was the films historical account of the laws that were placed on the methods in the midst of the hunt of bin Laden. Bigelow was simply trying to use torture methods frequently to account the laws as an important part of her history.

   Finally, I believe the action was a standout. There wasn’t too much or too little. The explosions and gunfire were just enough to be a believable part of history, rather than turning the historical account into a typical Hollywood action movie. The sound the editors presented us with, especially during the raid scenes, was perfect. Honestly, I loved the whole film.