This undated publicity photo released by Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. shows Jessica Chastain, as Maya, a member of the elite team of spies and military operatives stationed in a covert base overseas, who secretly devoted themselves to finding Osama Bin Laden in Columbia Pictures' new thriller, "Zero Dark Thirty," directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Chastain received an Academy Award nomination for best actress for her portrayal of the young, obsessed CIA operative driving the search. (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Jonathan Olley)

Grade • A

DVD • In the thriller “Zero Dark Thirty,” director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal painstakingly detail the steps that CIA agents took to find Osama Bin Laden — and what’s most shocking is seeing how many steps went in wrong directions.

Early scenes center on a black-site operative (Jason Clarke) putting one subject through waterboarding and other forms of torture — which prompted criticism that such depictions were an endorsement of the practice.

These scenes give way to one analyst, Maya (Jessica Chastain), doggedly pursuing leads pointing to the Abbottabad compound where Bin Laden finally was found.

Bigelow and Boal mix tense action with a thoughtful portrayal of determination in the face of daunting odds.