Report: Senators Dispute "Zero Dark Thirty" Portrayal of Torture

The Huffington Post reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) dispute the idea that waterboarding of suspects yielded information that led to Osama bin Laden, a point that some critics say is advanced in "Zero Dark Thirty."

The movie, which debuts on Dec. 19, has drawn criticism from bloggers and columnists for the way that it portrays the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" and their role in the capture and killing of bin Laden.

According to Huffington Post, Feinstein said that "I don't believe it is true" that the waterboarding is what led to key information in the hunt for bin Laden. Feinstein is chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Her comments were echoed by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), both members of the Senate Armed Services committee.

The filmmakers, Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal, say that the movie portrays torture as something that happened and does not render judgments.

It appears that the senators have yet to see the movie and instead are basing their comments on the general idea that waterboarding yielded information that led to the capture of Bin Laden.

The controversy over the movie --- advanced by many who have yet to see the film --- actually is bound to be part of many critics' reviews that will run in the days before its release.

Feinstein's committee is set to hold a committee vote on Thursday on a report on U.S. torture since 9/11, and there's speculation that the findings will contradict the idea that the use of torture in interrogations works.