This was a disturbing film to watch. And I'm glad I was disturbed by it. That isn't to say it wasn't a worthwhile film. It was. And I highly recommend it.
"Zero Dark Thirty" gave me reason to pause. Reason to think and evaluate not just my own values but our country's values. When a CIA officer is yelling at his staff and telling them, "Give me people to kill," I would hope that would make anyone with a conscience stop and think.
It was interesting to learn that the officer(s) who discovered Bin Laden's compound actually wanted to drop a bomb—or use a drone strike, I suppose—but I'm glad it was decided that we put boots on the ground for the operation. There's something to be said for seeing ones enemy up close, especially when the time comes to neutralize them.
Osama Bin Laden is probably the closest this world has come to having an actual super-villain. Should I not use comic-book analogies for something so serious? I guess not. But that's how I feel. But it wasn't a super-hero that took him out. It was regular men and women working hard at what they do.
Having worked for a time in the US Intelligence Community, I can appreciate the effort that was made and the need for teamwork to make such a mission successful. I also felt a certain degree of pride for having once been part of that community and at the same time a bit of shame for the way we've treated detainees in the name of homeland security. I'm still on the fence in regard to what we're doing with armed drones and what that means for future conflicts and perceived threats to our country.
