From NetFlix:

For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. ZERO DARK THIRTY reunites the Oscar-winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (2009, Best Picture, THE HURT LOCKER) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man.

Two and one-half hours is quite a bit of time to spend watching a CIA procedural. If there is one theme that runs throughout the film (in addition to the quest for Osama bin Laden) it is that Jessica Chastain as a CIA agent named Maya is doggedly determined to achieve her goal of killing Osama. She plays a very intellignt and capable agent who bucks no opposition from the CIA hierarchy. Indeed the film makes clear that the job is made more difficult due to conflicts, doubts, differences of opinion, and the need to maintain an appearance of success by each careerist. “Careerist” is not really fair: the agents were sincerely seeking to eliminate the terrorist. Of all the many fine actors involved, who do you suppose plays the C.I.A. directory: none other than the godfather himself, James Gandolfini.

“Zero Dark Thirty” is a phrase used by the military in designating an unspecified time after midnight but before sunrise.

In the beginning of the film there are several torture scenes taking place in a CIA black house. Once those torture scenes are finished, there are no more such scenes for the rest of the film. This is another way of saying that you could easily skip he torture scenes.

For the last hour or so you get to see the young bucks who actually raid the house of OBL (as Osama bin Laden is lovingly referred to in the dialog). And the raid makes all the procedurals worth the wait.

Get a good night’s sleep and then watch this film.