Zero Dark Thirty (Bigelow, 2012)

     Whenever I would see a great movie back in the day, I would embarrassingly gush, throwing around words like "masterpiece" and "one of the best films ever!"  This hyperbolic tendency has deteriorated over the years as my knowledge of film and its process has increased.  Other films that have come out this year, such as Life of Pi and Moonrise Kingdom have thoroughly satisfied me as a moviegoer but they didn't give me any indication that they would become modern classics.  And keep in mind, these are my #3 and #4 movies of 2012.  However, one film has come along and stolen the #1 slot for Best Film of the Year, and that film is Zero Dark Thirty.  Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal are no strangers to tackling the war in the Middle East, having both won Oscars for their work in The Hurt Locker.  When it was announced that the team would return to tell the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, anticipation was high.  And then the conversation changed.  Early reports about the various torture scenes caused a huge scandal in our nation's capital.  Senators and representatives who hadn't even seen the film were condemning its supposed condoning of torture and its implications that said torture was ultimately what led the CIA to bin Laden.  An investigation was even launched to determine the full legality of Bigelow and Boal's access to classified CIA intel.  While accepting the Best Picture award at the New York Critics Circle, Bigelow stated: “I thankfully want to say that I’m standing in a room of people who understand that depiction is not endorsement”.  This could not be more true.  In fact, the film takes a decidedly impartial stance, not just on torture, but on the true cost of war and revenge.