Zero Dark Thirty‘s true story is the US government’s search for notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden, but some key details were changed for the movie. Since his release, a lot of new information has come out about America’s behavior in the pursuit and Bin Laden’s exact actions, which was not available before. Zero Dark Thirty was widely praised at the time for its unwavering adherence to the truth, although it sensationalized certain aspects and made adjustments for entertainment value.
Zero Dark ThirtyThe title refers to the time in which America’s raid on bin Laden’s compound took place, and the moment is one of the most central events of the film – yet some important details about the raid that are now known bring the story into question. . At the time of its making, the events depicted in the movie were still shrouded in mystery and secrecyWhich meant that certain information was withheld from the public. Zero Dark Thirty is more accurate than most historical dramas, but this does not mean that every detail plays out on the screen exactly as in reality.
The film exaggerates the government’s use of torture
Government claims that these methods are not standard
From the beginning of Zero Dark ThirtyWhich is included among the most brutal torture scenes in movies, the American government is shown to have no problem with using extreme interrogation methods on its prisoners. Audiences are immediately introduced to Jason Clarke’s character, Dan, through a hard-to-watch torture sequence in which he tries to extract important information from a potential terrorist associate by waterboarding him. However, this is not exactly how the military operated. Some high-ranking government officials took issue with the movie’s exaggerated approach.
The extent of America’s use of torture is still debated today.
The officials claim that although some torture methods may be used in some cases, they are rarely effective and should not have been portrayed as common or successful. Although Zero Dark Thirty And Bigelow’s previous movie, The Hurt Lockerare partially based on reality, the director used to exaggerate certain aspects. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Graham Allison written in The Christian Science Monitor“[Zero Dark Thirty] Exaggerates the pervasiveness and effectiveness of torture.” The extent of America’s use of torture is still debated today, but it is agreed that it is not as extensive as Bigelow suggests.
The film’s depiction of Jennifer Matthews is not accurate
Those close to Matthews rejected the image of her movie
Although her name is not used in Zero Dark ThirtyJennifer Ehle’s character, Jessica, is based on a real-life CIA agent. Agent named Jennifer Matthewswhose work in the Osama bin Laden investigation eventually led to her death in a suicide bombing. In the movie, she only briefly works with Jessica Chastain’s character, Maya, when she sets up a meeting at the camp. It is a small role, and it mainly serves to prove how dangerous the terrorists are. However, many people who knew Jennifer Matthews took issue with the simplified and potentially condescending interpretation of her.
Jennifer Matthews seems to be Zero Dark Thirtys most controversial mistake.
Jennifer Matthews’ problem seems to have been Zero Dark Thirtys most controversial mistake, helping to make it one of the most controversial movies of the 2010s. Certain colleagues who worked with her said that the character in the film “Was not representative of whom [Matthews] Was like a person.” Another claimed that they were “So angry at the heated depiction of Jennifer as some fluffy-headed schoolgirl“(by Reuters). If the filmmakers wanted Zero Dark Thirty To be accepted as a true story, they should have been more careful when including real-life figures.
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The prisoners did not reveal any useful information during the capture of bin Laden
The way the Americans found Bin Laden is not true in the movie
It is immediately clear in Zero Dark Thirty That the US military intends to extract information from terrorist detainees. Finally, that’s how they tracked down Osama bin Laden through his associates. however, This is not actually how the catch went down in reality. The prisoners were not that useful to the CIA – most of them did not say anything, and for the very few who did speak, their information turned out to be useless. It was the investigative work of the CIA. What allowed them to find bin Laden, not their acquired intelligence.
Still watching Zero Dark ThirtyThe former director of the CIA. wrote (by NRCAT):
“In the end, no CIA prisoner. Custody reveals the facilitator/courier’s full true name or specific whereabouts. This information was discovered through other intelligence means.”
This brings a lot of the movie’s narrative into question. Zero Dark Thirty Suggests Jessica Chastain’s character succeeds in her pursuit thanks to several detainees’ corroborating information about Bin Laden’s mysterious courier.
The film gives too much credit to one individual
Jessica Chastain’s character didn’t do it alone
Although Zero Dark Thirty is one of Jessica Chastain’s best movies, her character is given too much credit for what happens. The search for Osama bin Laden and his associates was one of the largest and highest effort pursuits ever practiced by American forces. Thousands of CIA Operatives have dedicated several years of their lives to this cause. Zero Dark Thirty suggests Chastain’s character, Maya, was solely responsible for tracking down the terrorist. Naturally, some government officials felt insulted and offended by the film’s simplistic narrative.
This backlash and controversy prevents Zero Dark Thirty from achieving the same levels of success as Kathryn Bigelow’s previous movie, The Hurt Locker.
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Graham Allison shed light on the controversy in his Christian Science Monitor Op-ed, claim:
“The film’s hype of a fictional heroine succeeding by defying ‘the system’ is fundamentally misleading.”
There is a certain responsibility that movies based on true stories must uphold, and this one seems to have let that slip. This backlash and controversy prevents Zero Dark Thirty from achieving the same levels of success as Kathryn Bigelow’s previous movie, The Hurt Locker. If the filmmakers really wanted Zero Dark Thirty To be an accurate story, they needed to acknowledge the entire organization that helped.
The changes were controversial but the movie was still a hit
The movie won critical awards
While there were complaints about Zero Dark 30s Historically accurate, the movie is still a huge success. criticism, It has a 91% rating on rotten tomatoes and is certified fresh. It wasn’t just critics who loved it, as the audience score had a high 85% positive rating as well. That paid off at the box office, where the historical war biopic made $132.8 million on a $52 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), making it a minor success.
Zero Dark Thirty is also popular at year-end awards ceremonies. It picked up five nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress, although it only won Best Sound Editing. The Alliance of Women Journalists loved the movie, awarding it eight awards with 10 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. The Golden Globes also honored Jessica Chastain with Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. Zero Dark Thirty Has some factual errors, but, as a movie, it was an unmitigated success.
Did the changes benefit the movie?
Zero Dark 30 may have more responsibility to be accurate
When it comes to movies based on true stories, it is expected that there will be changes to the facts of the real events. Most of the changes made are meant to improve the way the story is presented to audiences in a narrative form with the hopes of maintaining the integrity of the true events. HoweverIn the case of Zero Dark ThirtyIt can be argued that a lot of the changes made ended up distracting more from the movie itself.
One of the most infamous aspects of Zero Dark Thirty is the government’s use of torture to obtain information from detainees. Although this is a fact that has been refuted, it also caused a lot of controversy for the movie because some felt that the film justified such tactics. This fact can be debated, but it became a topic of discussion around the movie to the point that it was the main thing that people associated with the movie.
Zero Dark Thirty Presents itself as a detailed examination of the process and investigation. It is dense in details and realism, which can make it more noticeable when there are elements that do not ring true.
There is also the question of whether Zero Dark Thirty Should be held to a higher standard than other movies based on true stories. While a sports movie based on a true story can rewrite the story to create a more crowd-pleasing victory for the heroes without a problem, Zero Dark Thirty Presents itself as a detailed examination of the process and investigation. It is dense in details and realism, which can make it more noticeable when there are elements that do not ring true.
however, Zero Dark Thirty is still a movie rather than a documentary and some of the changes made to the true story are necessary. The prime example of this is placing the focus of the story on Jessica Chastain’s character Maya. Although there are certainly a lot of people involved in the real-life events, with such an expansive and complex story, it is necessary for the audience to be anchored by one character to give some structure to the story.