Films like Zero Dark Thirty – The mysterious life of a secret agent often arouses curiosity to the point that it has adapted into various films. Secret agent films have also become one of the favorite shows for several groups.
The spy film genre originally developed in the early 20th Century, when many people feared the presence of secret agents in the midst of war.
This type of secret agent film became increasingly popular after Alfred Hitchcock released a series of legendary works, such as The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1937), and The Lady Vanishes (1938).
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Synopsis Zero Dark Thirty
Zero Dark Thirty is a Hollywood film that tries to depict the drama of the CIA operation to kill the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. This film centers on the story of a CIA analyst, Maya (Jessica Chastain), who given the task of tracking down Osama bin Laden after 9/11. In 2003, he and his team were sent to the United States Embassy in Pakistan. There, they interviewed a prisoner suspected of connected to the plane hijackers in the 9/11 incident. From these interviews, Maya and her team continued to dig up information from a number of suspected terrorist sources whom they interrogated using legal torture techniques.
During the years of this operation, there was a lot of drama within the CIA as well as agents in the field who came face to face with terrorists. Until finally, Maya believed that Osama bin Laden was in hiding in Pakistan. The CIA and military finally raided the base and killed Osama bin Laden on May 2 2011. When it released, Zero Dark Thirty criticized by a number of parties who did not like the depiction of CIA torture. However, this film still received a positive response, even winning a number of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Films like Zero Dark Thirty
1. Films like Zero Dark Thirty: Argo
A discussion about secret agent films would not be complete without Argo, which won the 2013 Oscars.
The film directed by Ben Affleck focuses on the turmoil amidst the Iranian Revolution in 1979. At that time, the Iranian people were angry because the United States granted asylum to Mohammad Reza Shah, the leader who overthrown in the revolution.
They also held a demonstration in front of the US Embassy building in Iran on November 4 1979. Starting peacefully, the demonstration began to become chaotic when a group of protesters forced their way in. The extremists then detained all US Embassy staff. However, it turned out that six staff managed to escape and hide in the residence of the Canadian ambassador to Iran.
While they hid in fear, US State Department officials were busy trying to find a way to rescue them, racing against time before the Iranian Revolutionary Guard realized that six people were missing from the embassy.
Enlightenment comes when the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) undercover expert, Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), is invited to a meeting. He criticized all rescue options initiated by the US Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He finally developed a strategy to make a fake film entitled Argo. Mendez pretended to be a Canadian producer who wanted to see potential shooting locations in Iran with a crew of six. The crew was none other than the six embassy staff who were taking shelter at the Canadian ambassador’s house. They began their adventure towards their hometown.
2. The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity tells the story of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) in search of his identity after experiencing amnesia. It turns out that his real identity is related to a conspiracy within the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The film begins when a fisherman in the Mediterranean Sea rescues an American citizen with two gunshot wounds to his back.
It turned out that the man had forgotten his memory, but could still speak and had extraordinary combat skills, as well as being able to speak several languages. The man began searching for his identity, armed with clues from a note on the deposit box number in Zurich that found on his body. Long story short, he found the deposit box. Inside it turned out to be money from various countries, a passport, a gun and an identity card complete with his photo.
The man took everything in the deposit box, except the money. He then traveled using the name in his American passport, Jason Bourne. After Bourne left, a bank employee immediately contacted a representative of a secret CIA program called Operation Treadstone. The leader of the operation, Conklin, immediately issued a warning for the police to arrest Bourne and assigned three agents to kill him, namely Castel, Manheim, and Professor. Bourne begins his adventure to find his identity amidst the CIA’s pursuit.
3. The Spy Gone North
South Korea is also the contributor to one of the best secret agent films, namely The Spy Gone North. Set in the mid-1990s, this film tells the story of a South Korean spy who assigned to enter North Korea. He carried out a mission to obtain intelligence information about the country’s nuclear weapons plans.
Directed by Yoon Jong Bin, this film presents excellent acting from Hwang Jung Min, Lee Sung Min, Cho Jin Woong, and Ju Ji Hoon.
4. North by Northwest
North by Northwest is said to Alfred Hitchcock’s best work, who the pioneer of secret agent films. This film tells the story of Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), an advertising executive in New York who chased by a mysterious group of spies. They made a mistake, thinking Thornhill a government agent named George Kaplan. Kaplan said to trying to thwart their efforts to smuggle microfilm containing government secrets.
All aspects of North by Northwest are considered to be the foundation for thriller films that deal with spy stories in the future. The secret agent film, which was released in 1959, received a positive response and is still considered relevant today. A number of critics even called North by Northwest one of the best films of all time.
