Zero Dark Thirty. The graphic al-Qaeda terrorism and the torture used by CIA operatives in this account of the search for Osama bin Laden make “Zero Dark Thirty” truly for viewers 17 and older. CIA agent Maya has made it her business to find bin Laden, despite colleagues’ doubts about her theories. Maya deduces that the path to bin Laden is through al-Qaeda’s elusive couriers. It takes years before she is certain. The last 30 minutes or so follow the raid closely, and filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow’s dramatization is utterly riveting.
The bottom line:
Scenes in which CIA operatives use coercive methods on terror suspects are graphic and disturbing, both as simple violence and as nuanced moral choices. Other violence includes frightening suicide bombings telegraphed with incredible tension. Characters smoke, drink and use strong profanity. The movie opens in blackness, with emotional recordings of phone calls made by victims trapped in the burning World Trade Center towers to their families on Sept. 11, 2001.
Gangster Squad. Too deafeningly violent and full of profanity and graphic sexual slang for moviegoers younger than 17, “Gangster Squad” could also put off older teens and adults who may have seen enough violence in the news and on film. It looks and sounds like a high-class graphic novel, with everyone in it bigger than life. Chief Parker orders a tough-as-nails sergeant, John O’Mara, to set up a take-no-prisoners squad to clean up an empire of gambling, prostitution and heroin. With the help of his pregnant wife, Connie, O’Mara studies the files of potential squad members and puts together a team of tough guys, plus one expert wiretapper.
The bottom line: The film opens with an attempted rape, from which O’Mara rescues the young woman. It never becomes graphic. Shootouts are loud, bloody and frequent. The violence includes stabbings and bone-breaking fist fights. A stripper in a club is nearly topless. The script is riddled with profanity and explicit sexual slang. A few ethnic slurs are used.
Horwitz is a freelance writer. Find her previous reviews on the On Parenting page.
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