The only knock I’ve heard so far about Zero Dark Thirty is that it’s cold, emotionless, and machine-like. Those qualities – whether accurately described or not – are precisely what I’ve learned to admire so much about Kathryn Bigelow’s previous film, The Hurt Locker. Nothing pulled at heartstrings or built a potentially manipulative portrait of military life. In fact, that distance has caused me to go back to The Hurt Locker many times in the past few years, as I try to work out the layers of these masculine, calloused characters.

The first clip from Zero Dark Thirty hit the web yesterday and looks anything but distant. It also furthers my sense that Jessica Chastain is a lock for her second straight Oscar nom.