Now Showing: Zero Dark Thirty ***

Stars: Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Ehle, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Reda Kateb, James Gandolfini, Mark Strong, Stephen Dillane.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Rated: R
Showing: Speciality Theatre. Call 292-2135 for show times.
Runtime: 155 minutes
Drama, history, thriller

Zero Dark Thirty begins in our mind’s eye — our memories of 9/11 play out as a black screen is backed by the sounds of news reports, 911 emergency calls and tearful dying messages left on voice mails.

The movie about the long hunt for Osama bin Laden will have plenty to show us. But Hurt Locker writer Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow want us to provide the rationale for the next two hours. What they’re about to depict is the spy’s-eye-view of this epic search — the tedium of false leads, and the torture.

The film is a fascinating reconstruction of history. But aside from those opening credits, it’s surprisingly unmoving, a clinical exercise that mimics the professionalism of those involved.  The genius of Zero Dark Thirty, though, is that we feel exactly what those involved must have felt at the end. Not elation. Not the thrill of victory. Just relief.