An American man wakes up in Dakar with a bomb strapped to his chest. Soon, a mysterious voice on the phone is giving him orders. As he goes through what is demanded of him, he meets a second American man in the same predicament.
Written by Jean Luc Herbulot and Hus Miller, with Herbulot directing as well, this action thriller is well-written and directed with non-stop action from start to finish, never giving the leads or the audience a real break. The film is one of those that is easy to get into, love the insanity, and get good carnage through it. It’s violent, it’s filled with stress for the leads and those who may connect with them, but there is more here in that the leads are not cut and dry good guys, not even near, so connecting with them is a bit more difficult and the film does well with that. The writing and direction make the most of the location and really work together well to create one of those high adrenaline action films where it seems no one is truly good or truly bad.
The cast here is interesting in that the two leads are not that well known, with a bunch of short films and a few features behind each of them, giving the audience two actors with less premade ideas about them and helping the mystery as to why their characters are in this situation and as to who these characters are. The more known names here are Gary Dourdan in a smaller role and Willem Dafoe (or at least who sounds to be Willem Dafoe) on the phone giving orders. This coast here has a few other members of course who get solid parts, each giving good performances for roles made to advance the story for the two leads. The cast overall here is good, with the two leads being solid and a clear choice for each of their parts.
The frenetic feel and look of the film are made thanks to the cinematography of director of photography Grégory Turbellier and the editing by Raphael Lubczanski. Their work together leads to the film’s stressed pace, its anxious atmosphere, and its active violence. The film here depends on these departments heavily and they truly make it work on so many levels.
Zero is fun, fast-paced film with characters who could have used a bit more development. However, this lack of development works here in that the audience is thrown into the story just like they are, without a clue of what is going on, forced to live to through it to figure it out with demands made over the phone as to what their next step it. The writing and directing work well, the acting is good, the voice over the phone is great and non-grating, it’s a stressful film that creates its own world and forces you into it with the characters. This is entertainment, made to give the viewer anxiety and really show what an action thriller can do. Oh, and there is humor and it’s funny, dark, but funny.