Zero Dark Thirty - Blu-ray + DVD

Three years after Kathryn Bigelow, after a relatively quiet few-decade-long film directing career, really showed what she was capable of with the Iraq war masterpiece The Hurt Locker, she comes with a movie far more ambitious, and also quite a bit more controversial, about the decade long search for Osama Bin Laden from 9/11 until (no spoiler alert necessary) he was killed in a raid operation by navy seals, called Zero Dark Thirty. It absolutely lives up to, if not surpasses, her previous Oscar winning effort. Bigelow’s passion for this subject is in just about every shot, with immense detail, cold bluntness, and enough humanity to keep it from being too oppressing. Actually for a two and a half hour film it’s quite efficient filmmaking, jam-packed with numerous interrogations and investigation tactics (the torture stuff that has garnered controversy is only a very small part of that) shaking real life terrorist attacks, and political wrangling, yet it’s never confused or disjointed. Even towards the end with the recreations of the raid on the compound in Pakistan done very deliberately, the pacing is never betrayed, maintaining consistent movement and direction; it’s a scene that plays out as much mystery as suspense as the seal team goes from room to room blowing out locked doors and not knowing for certain if the main target is there. The movie’s structure, with one main character, Maya a member of the CIA played brilliantly by Jessica Chastain, taking a part in virtually every aspect of this manhunt, with other people revolving in their various tasks around her, was the perfect choice. If one person really did have this much impact on the manhunt we’ll probably never know for sure, but in this film it’s played out believably and compellingly, and though no one can match her neither is anyone else insignificant to how it plays out. Characters with only a few scenes have noticeable impacts. But with Maya is the emotion, determination, the sassiness and intelligence of a woman who evolves in nuanced but never uninteresting ways. Zero Dark Thirty is an incredible achievement, and in my mind candidate for best film made so far this decade. It has brought about an important debate, but more significantly it covers ten years of the war on terror in prime fashion. Bigelow plays for high realism but she also knows how to create great drama by stretching but never breaking those confines. Every scene belongs for a purpose and never does it feel like one is missing; that in itself is an incredible achievement. Credit her, the cast, and, not to forget, the great script by Mark Boal. Unfortunately the blu-ray is underwhelming with regards to any special features. Hopefully a more complete package comes out someday with commentary and more in-depth stuff. However the film is amazing and this blu-ray has among the highest caliber of picture and sound quality. A must buy!

Wanted to buy a movie with 4k and complete surround sound to test out my new home theater capabilities. Always loved this movie anyway for its content. She did win the Oscar’s for it. Great performances

As a former Intelligence Officer I enjoyed the movie even if not everything was explained. Like the reason why the helicopter crashed, which had to do with the fact that during training that the mock up compound had a chain linked fence that allowed for the helicopter wash to blow through and not cause so much updraft like the solid wall. The model of the compound was a great piece and looked just like the three that were actually made. I use to walk pass the one model everyday. I get that this is a Hollywood movie. People will gravitate to a film that is digestible and, ultimately, profitable. And depicting the reality of national security is challenging: much of the information is TOP SECRET, and a lot of it is just not dramatic or sexy at all. Reading thousands of reports and writing reports is just not that exciting.... can't be a profitable movie. If you work in the field you can pick apart a movie all day... I do it when I see gun fights in movies all the time. I could relate to Maya as a mid-level officer, being asked to "backbench" at a briefing—you’re briefing the guy who has to brief the guy—while she knows it’s her analysis that brought everyone together in the room. Supervisors sell this as "top cover" for the lower-level officer, and there is some truth to that. It’s easier for established officers to take a hit over a bad decision than for a new officer, whose career could end on an early miscall. When I became a supervisor, I did the same thing, and dodged my share of hits. The CIA doesn't like to be portrayed badly... and very sure of themselves... Saw this in Afghanistan. Black sites exist and they're not Disneyland. Jessica Chastain delivers a great performance... People just need to take it for what it is.. a great movie that depicts the events that lead up to the best payback we could have given UBL. I watch this movie every 2nd of May... as a remembrance to the co-workers I lost in the Pentagon.

Livraison rapide et bon état du colis Très bon film et bonne qualité du blu-ray à un prix très abordable

As expected, anything to do with Sony video presentation is exceptional. This is a substantial upgrade from the already great Blu Ray. The HDR is as good as it gets. See the Blu-Ray.com review for in depth. One of my top movies.

Zero Dark Thirty chronicles the decade-long hunt for bin Laden with profound neutrality. Darkness. A blank screen echoes the desperate screams and howls of innocent civilians telephoning their loved ones before the World Trade Centre crumbled over them. 2,977 fatalities. Over 25,000 injuries. “9/11”, at the hands of Islamic fundamentalist group al-Qaeda, became the “deadliest terrorist attack in human history”. The Bush administration swiftly launching the “War on Terror” to depose the Taliban, after the proposed extradition of leader Osama bin Laden floundered. Future terrorist attacks were imminent, with the CIA employing controversial systematic torture programs known as “enhanced interrogation techniques” to extract information from detainees in undisclosed black sites. Maya, a fictional CIA analyst tasked in locating bin Laden, soon becomes obsessed with potential lead Abu Ahmed that rapidly sends her down a monomaniacal path of danger, with growing pressure to save thousands of lives in the process. Bigelow’s thrilling decade-long depiction of events, in what is claimed as the “greatest manhunt in history”, can only be described as uncompromising scintillating cinema at its most raw. The extremist behaviour of Islamic Group members have been widely reported, detailed and sensationalised by the media for countless years. “7/7” bombings in London. The Camp Chapman attack. The 2008 Mumbai attacks. All co-ordinated actions that drew widespread condemnation. However, dramatising these profound events to stir further hatred for extremist behaviour and imply celebratory national patriotism, are not functionalities for Boal’s succinct screenplay. Both Bigelow and Boal, whom collaborated on ‘The Hurt Locker’, utilise modern history to insight political critique upon the questionable actions of the Bush administration and malevolence of al-Qaeda. A proliferate narrative neutrality that produced an unyielding barrier of risk, querying the legitimacy of bin Laden’s assassination and the gruelling process leading up to that pivotal raid. In the process, supplying sensitive philosophers and cowardly politicians with enough controversial ammunition to fire allegations from every direction. Supposed partisanship with the Obama administration, improper access to classified documents and pro-torture portrayal (more on that later...). These assertions are just that. Allegations. Because Zero Dark Thirty is a stark reminder of how ambivalent America’s contribution to this war was, and that undoubtedly irked “experts” and officials. Putting aside the historical politics for one moment, the essence of Bigelow’s intellectual assertion comes in the form of Maya. A lone female operative shrouded in the masculinity of warfare. Her tenacity and tough-minded persona undeniably receives the most acute character development arcs ever written, acting as an independent pressured employee expending her entire career in chasing bin Laden and a conduit for the narrative’s neutrality. Her initial reserved attitude towards approved “enhanced interrogation” allows viewers to question the permissibility of such authoritative techniques. Then she becomes obsessed, gradually succumbing to the ferocity of her work. Weeks, months, years. A decade passes. The pressure breaking her meticulous persona down, utilising any and all methods in finding bin Laden. Yet Maya combats the systematic ideologies of the CIA consistently to grant her fictionalisation a required neutrality that issues humanity. Chastain’s exceptional performance is littered with nuanced emotive details that gingerly bestow a provocative rage. Commanding, intimidating and menial. Chastain fluctuates her power from quaint whispers to enraged shouts, yet never lets her guard down. Until the final scene. A scene that profoundly reflected the morality and ethicality of all the preceding events that happened over the decade-long manhunt. The first and only moment where Maya exerts emotional fragility. A cluster of overwhelming feelings. Relief. Disappointment. Melancholy. Maya is the representation of the entire Iraq war from an emotional standpoint, and her culminating frame of film is perfect. Bigelow, alongside Fraser’s clinically bleak cinematography, explores the dark side of war. Bolstered by a commendable supporting cast whom exude professional urgency to the matter at hand. From the desolate anticipation of the Camp Chapman attack, to the night-vision filtered compound raid of Operation Neptune Spear. Zero Dark Thirty never dissipates its tension and technical astuteness, despite the chapter segregation that does regrettably disjoint the elongated runtime. Now, the torture interrogations. Waterboarding in particular. Famously generating a mass amount of controversy for its propagandistic nature and pro-torture stance. Makes you wonder why it conjured so much attention in the first place. To add on Bigelow’s response, it is a part of history. It shouldn’t have been, but it was. Consequently these government approved techniques should not be ignored regardless if it lead to bin Laden’s location or not, and it absolutely does question the morality behind such actions. Maya’s inclusion complying with that thought-process entirely. It categorically does not normalise torture, nor does its involvement endorse such issues. It simply provides exposure, arguably creating a statement against torture by implying the antagonistic behaviours of CIA agents. There’s a reason why Zero Dark Thirty was marred with controversy. There’s a reason why Zero Dark Thirty pursues a neutral narrative. It raises a fundamental question. “Was the death of bin Laden worth the price we paid?”. By showing the unspeakable, unflinching and the uncompromising, Bigelow audaciously challenges on an intellectual scale by using modern warfare as her weapon of choice. Producing a near-perfect film in the process.

merci beaucoup a amazon est bpost

Shipped really fast! Disc in immaculate condition. Case had light abrasions. Better condition than expected!