When films like Zero Dark Thirty and Les Miserables do well with Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes nominations before opening in wide release, it's hard to know what the fuss is about if you can’t go right out to the theater and see what makes them so great.

Soon enough. They’re coming. We promise. In the meantime, we have stellar trailers like this one for Kathryn Bigelow’s hunt-for-Bin-Laden thriller, which arrived online today. Check it out below:
 

 
That is a masterful example of a trailer that’s able to establish the tone and intent of a movie without giving anything away. We meet Maya (Jessica Chastain), the young investigator who’ll sacrifice almost everything to capture the world’s largest fugitive. The clip hints at the brutality of Bigelow’s drama. (Jason Clarke’s monologue, read to a Middle Eastern prisoner, is chilling.) You can begin to understand why so many critics’ groups are singling Zero Dark Thirty out as the year’s best film. 
 
Thirty will maintain its Dec. 19 limited opening in New York and L.A., meaning it’s still eligible for Oscar consideration. After opening in up to 10 markets on Jan. 4, Thirty reportedly plans to expand wide on Jan. 11. It’s a must-see … as soon as you are able to see it.

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