The 2012 movie Zero Dark Thirty is a gripping political thriller that was highly successful at the box office and was nominated for and won several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing and a Best Actress Golden Globe for Chastain's performance. Because of its gritty portrayal of real events, Zero Dark Thirty is considered one of the best movies of the 2010s, and its streaming availability has brought it back into popularity.

The movie depicts a dramatized version of the US military's hunt for Osama bin Laden in the decade following the September 11 attacks. Zero Dark Thirty primarily follows Maya, a CIA intelligence analyst, in her work to track bin Laden as she interacts with different CIA and US Navy teams. While Maya is the primary character, Zero Dark Thirty features a broad and impressive cast of well-known actors who take inspiration from real figures in recent US history.