Saw it Friday with my daughter. Was riveted the whole way through. It was amazing how much tension they were able to build in the final scene given that we all know how it ends. Jessica Chastain was brilliant, probably the next Streep. Never seen an actress project such brittleness, determination and courage at the same time. The writing was truly brilliant. Might as well call off the original screenplay Oscar for 2014. Boal's going to win it again. I've always liked Kathryn Bigelow, even when she was doing purely escapist action stuff. Loved Strange Days. It's great to see her hitting her stride in her sixties. Liked Hurt Locker, but this is the best work of her career.
My daughter loved it. She's pretty jaded, plus she's a film major. Might have helped that she didn't follow the news stories as closely as I did, so there was a lot more suspense for her.
It was interesting hearing her talk about the story with her generation's perspective on 9/11. She was in first grade when it happened and it was quite traumatizing for her and her twin brother knowing that my brother was in the Pentagon. The entire story plays out from that time to her junior year in high school, which is most of her life.
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