It would be difficult for me to say what I was expecting from Katryn Bigelow's latest movie. Two things were certain though: I admire her work and I knew it would be difficult to portray such a recent historical event without being highly criticized.
Because the result was indeed a portrayal: a narrative of a secret mission without much controversy or questioning of the actual facts. Narrating the story about the capture of one of the most wanted men in history after not even a year would be very compromising and restrictive if the project was to challenge and highlight any controversy behind Bin Laden's capture.
Hence, the result is a quasi-documentary of the actual events: a powerful documentary though that pays honor to Bigelow's skills and a tremendously captivating lead character.
Jessica Chastain is surreal: her eyes and expression draw the spectator without needing for her to speak or move. A hypnotizing effect only achievable by a true star, and under Bigelow's direction she unquestionably blooms into a star!
The interrogation scenes were harsh, the years of investigation before the capture were far beyond a 'job' conception: a true life dedication. The movie did not question any steps undertaken by the US military nor the likeliness that Bin Laden was truly sleeping in his house that morning; it mostly told the story of a bright lonely career woman whose bravery and exhaustion culminate in a final scene with Chastain blasting into tears. The only 'motherfucker' woman agent who truly believed in her convictions and acted accordingly in a men's dominated world: a searcher for justice and for a better world, a perfectionist. Traits that are not unfamiliar to Bigelow; Maya (Chastain) is a female 'Bodi'...only operating on the side of justice.
My answer is that it is not yet time for 'landing' for Bigelow: her movie is captivating and moving, maybe not in the way we would expect, but it still is!
