Zero Dark Thirty is Brutal and Inspiring [PICTURES]

Zero Dark Thirty, the film about the chase and termination of Osama Bin Laden, resembled watching the actual, real life drama unfold. That is, it was at different times brutal, frustrating, ridiculous, mildly funny, inspiring, seemingly hopeless, and finally triumphant.

The Brutal

Torture is not something I want to have much exposure to, but it is essential to this story. If you've wondered what water boarding looks like, this is your movie. The torture scenes are difficult to watch. It does produce the tip that leads to America's most wanted international fugitive. The film covers the time period when America goes from the Bush Administration to the Obama Administration, and according to the film that correlates to going from 'torture away' to 'we can't torture anyone, how are we supposed to get information?', or as the character in the story says, "Politics are changing, so be careful. You don't want to be the one caught with a dog collar in your hand."

The Frustrating

Gleaning information about the leader of an enemy group who is hiding in unfriendly territory is actually quite difficult. Who knew? The CIA, that's who. At one point all the agents are gathered together for a good old fashioned scolding by their boss. He yelled the thing we never want to hear our bosses yell. "Do your jobs!"

The Inspiring

If we were all as fearless as Jessica Chastain's character, we'd probably get a lot more done in our lives. She didn't care if it was her boss, his boss, or the guy above him. She was firm in her conviction, believed in herself and put it all on the line for it. She looked her boss right in the eye and said, 'Do this or I'm out of here.' And he did it.

Triumphant

One thing is for sure, when someone attacks America, hell will be paid. While the intelligence gathering looked like it was quite a challenge, when it came time to execute, the U.S. was ready. Technology meets training in the scenes where Seal Team 6 swings into action. Brand new, quiet, radar dodging helicopters take them into Pakistan to carry out the mission, and the SEALs are about as calm in their demeanor as you would be filling out TPS reports. When I watch something like this, it feels me with a sense of pride and security.

Overall

It's the telling of one of the biggest storylines in our lifetime, and well done at that. The torture is tough to watch, but I thought it was a great movie.