Jessica Chastain delivers an Oscar-nominated turn in Kathryn Bigelow's acclaimed follow-up to The Hurt Locker.
The Help star impresses in the vastly different guise of CIA operative Maya who, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, becomes wrapped up in an all-consuming hunt for Osama Bin Laden. As the pursuit draws on with little success, Maya goes out on a limb, leading a risky mission into the heart of the terrorist leader's lair.
Following her success with 2010 Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, Bigelow continues to deliver uncompromising commentary on the Iraq War. Once a hot favourite for honours, Zero Dark Thirty's depictions of torture may have hit a little too close to home and the film converted just one of its five Oscar nominations into a win (for Best Sound Editing).
Still, with fine performances and great attention to detail, Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal have created a gripping and gritty record of one of the key milestones of the Obama era.
Zero Dark Thirty is a Film programme that first aired in 2012 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
