It’s no real surprise that Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal are under fire while assembling their forthcoming untitled film about the hunt for, and ultimate assassination of, Osama Bin Laden. After The New York Times commented, “The White House is counting on the… big-screen version of the killing of Bin Laden to counter Obama’s growing reputation as ineffectual,” further stating that the two would have access to highly-classified information, Representative Peter T. King (R, N.Y.) couldn’t help but raise his brow.
As chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, King’s concern is certainly justifiable, what with top secret information apparently tossed about, and his skepticism is only heightened by the film’s October 2012 release date. I mean, the most powerful office in the country is going to hand over information literally worth killing over to a couple of best picture winners, simply to better it’s chances in a November 2012 election? Sounds ludicrous, right?
The filmmakers reassured us – it is. They stressed that the film will showcase “the collective efforts of three administrations, including those of Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, as well as the cooperative strategies and implementation by the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency,” rather than being a simple push for the Obama administration to garner more votes come the end of next year. [EW]
With a film as steeped in politics as this one is, I can’t blame either side for speculating its potential agenda one way or the other. However, I personally just look forward to a sharp, taut thriller that chronicles what is easily one of the biggest events in the last 10 years of American history.
Do you think Bigelow and Boal are in cahoots with The White House to better election chances? Are you excited for the film?