1. Zero Dark Thirty
In 2008, Kathryn Bigelow's Academy Award-winning The Hurt Locker gained the respect of critics and audiences alike for being an objective document on a contemporary world issue. Impressively, this movie depicted the American war in Iraq as it was still at its apex. In Bigelow's follow-up film, she re-teamed with Hurt Locker writer Mark Boal. When Bigelow and Boal initially set out to make Zero Dark Thirty, the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden was still raging. But on May 2, 2011, the plot of the film changed when Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. Like The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty is an unflinching and unbiased portrayal of people at the front lines of war. But instead of Iraq, Zero Dark Thirty depicts the events in New York on September 11, 2001 and the subsequent search for those responsible until the ultimate killing of Bin Laden nearly a decade later. The film has become a hot-button issue for many writers, critics, and anyone with a fervent opinion regarding its depiction of torture committed by the United States government. But those opinions, both those supporting and condemning this film, are unfounded. Bigelow is too intelligent a director to get caught in trite messages of the good and evil of torture. Instead, she uses the film as a document, showing Jason Clarke torturing his captives without either judgmental or supportive commentary. The performances in this film, particularly the aforementioned Clarke and the now seemingly omnipresent Jessica Chastain, are superb. Their performances, more so than in most other suspense thrillers, are vital as a large amount of the tension is driven by behind-the-scenes planning and strategizing. Of course, given the nature of the material, this film also contains its share of heart-pounding and adrenaline pumping scenes. One aspect in which Bigelow excels in this film is in the way she lets her camera linger, drawing out the suspense even when we the audience are aware of the inevitable forthcoming explosions. The final act of the film, the attack on Osama, is the best example of this. Exquisitely shot with ample use of night vision, Bigelow's climactic action sequence is unlike that normally seen. Instead of a couple dozen army bad-asses with automatic weapons plowing through doors and killing haphazardly, the group works methodically, carefully blowing down doors with explosions and avoiding killing the children inside. In these careful moments, Kathryn Bigelow delivers one of the best suspense thrillers ever crafted.
Why It Will Win: The same reasons Hurt Locker won; contemporary action thriller with superb writing and acting.
Why It Won't Win: Hollywood's fear of mistakenly believing supporting this film is equivalent to implicitly condoning torture.
So who will take home the prize this year? Vote in our poll, or find how to reach me in my bio below.