alright then, about time for a thread on this then eh? can't find one elsewhere. probably will be some spoilers in this, if that's possible?

I saw it last night. it made me DEEPLY uncomfortable. it's difficult to articulate precisely why, but it's probably a combination of genuinely great filmmaking, horrible characters, all that torture, and that faintly nagging suspicion that it's kinda fascistic. is it jingoistic? I'm not sure. yes? it portrays every character as deeply unpleasant, and it's difficult to see it as a positive portrayal of the CIA, American tactics and whatever else. there's a million articles written on this films politics. read some of them.

Jessica Chastain becomes completely obsessed with catching UBL, in a way that makes the film kinda more similar to Zodiac or the Black Dahlia (the film was shit but the book's good)... kinduva study in singlemindedness and obsession.

In terms of the film making itself it's genuinely really good. Bigelow genuinely makes pretty much every minute event suspenseful and tense and uncomfortable to sit through. even though mostly nothing happens throughout. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film - it's 157 minutes long. the final 'battle' is pretty great as well. those guys were ruthless.

finally - the cast is fucking weird as well - Mark Duplass, James Gandolfini, John Barrowman, Mark Strong, Harold Perrineau, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton. a really strange assortment of actors.

so yeah, this is mainly unfocused rambling. it's a horribly uncomfortable film, which is a result of the depiction of dodgy politics (or just dodgy politics?) and excellent film making. it's kinda great. and unpleasant. repellent even

anyone else seen it?