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Zero Dark Thirty (Dec. 19)

Kathryn Bigelow's chronicle of the decade-long hunt for 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden may be the year's most controversial film, already generating partisan critiques. In his first interview about the secrecy-shrouded project, screenwriter Mark Boal (a veteran war correspondent) insisted, ''There's no political agenda in the film. Full stop. Period.'' Though Boal refuses to disclose any of the sources for his screenplay (or whether he used any fictionalized composites), the Oscar winner clearly did his research. ''There are over 100 speaking roles,'' notes director Kathryn Bigelow; the cast includes Joel Edgerton as a SEAL and Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, and Brotherhood's Jason Clarke as CIA operatives. ''It's an ensemble of covert-ops teams — ground branch [field agents], case officers, spies, analysts, and operators,'' says Boal. ''I'm fascinated by people who dedicate themselves to really difficult and dangerous things for the greater good.'' —Anthony Breznican

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Image Credit: Jonathan Olley