Suspect Zero

Aaron Eckhart is terrible as agent Thomas Mackelway on the hunt for a serial killer and Carrie-Anne Moss as another agent is wasted in this uneven film. The premise of the film is interesting but I can't reveal it because it would be considered a spoiler. Poor Ben Kingsley is relegated to acting with his "intense eyes" look for most of the film. Something is really lacking in this film because the idea is good but the execution is not. The direction is okay but there's not much suspense. The ending is very weak. Most of the film is confusing and there are large holes in the plot. Even the locale of New Mexico is wasted. I lived there an a lot more could have been done with it. Weakest of all are the characters who are distant and quite impersonal. I didn't hate the film but was disappointed that it wasn't done better. Blame the writer mostly for weak characterizations.

America seems absolutely swamped in rightist cop-as-savior movies and TV shows, and the FBI is always at the top of the list for idolization. This blatant, twisted, truly evil film is one of the foremost totalitarian propaganda pieces ever made. This film and others seeking to attain its level of influence must surely be responsible for the targeting of children. It must resonate in the minds of the seriously mentally ill that the best way to disturb the public is by targeting children for murder and sex, the same motive which drove Richard Ramirez, who thankfully had not been immersed at that time in a culture of paranoia and hideous violence focused upon children, thus Ramirez targeted adults. If the people running this country are so concerned about people then why in this the richest country in the world do we find ourselves confronted with human beings sleeping on sidewalks in every major and minor city? Such a sight is not seen when visiting a Canadian city –where everyone has health care also- or the U.K., Germany, France etc. What is all this crime propaganda about? It's not about helping people, that is proved by all that is seen around us. Have you ever watched "Cops" or other shows like it? Nothing but poor people being humiliated and victimized by the police. All the bad people in this film are working class. Think about it, and think quickly. Our freedom is almost completely gone.

I liked it. The filming is really good and the twists, while not really enigmatic, are good enough to grasp your attention. Eckhart gives a good performance here, and he's really believable as the FBI officer in search for the truth. Kingsley on the contrary seems not at his usual standard, but this is also a consequence of the weirdness of his character. The start is really good, from the cinematic point of view too: you'll think it's a classic horror movie (which is not the case). The ending is not at par with the first 4/5 of the movie but at that point you'll be willing to forgive the director because the rest of the movie is OK.

source: Suspect Zero

source: Suspect Zero

source: Suspect Zero

This movie started off pretty slowly but if you are of those people who don't mind waiting for a good ending to a good psychological thriller, this movie is for you! I read a few comments and one said it was "OK" and when I reached the climax of the movie, I said to myself "What the heck?! Only OK?". I was on the edge of my seat for the last 15 minutes of the movie and everything all came together quite nicely. If I were to compare it to any other movies I would say that this is "Se7en" mixed with a little "Memento" for the twists and turns in a dark thriller-type movie. I don't know if I would watch it again, but that is solely for the fact that I know what happens and finding out the "truth" was the culminating event that made this movie worth watching.

Don't assume a scary thriller as I did after watching the trailer for this movie. It wasn't scary at all and was too slow paced to consider it a thriller. The storyline and acting were lacking and dull. I'm not sure if the actual actors selected fit the movie though. I would have gone with a different casting. Ben Kingsley might have fit the role of a dark frightful serial killer, at least so it seemed in the first five minutes of the movie. However, as stated earlier the movie went a different direction. Aaron Eckhart, who plays the other main character of the movie, is bland. I found myself more irritated at his character more than anything else. The forced relationship between him and Carrie-Anne Moss, his partner seemed to be thrown and mixed together just to add some substance to the story. This won't be the worst movie you'll see far from it, but wait until you've seen all the other movies you want to see. This one can wait. I'd say rent this one if it's the only one on the shelf.

SUSPECT ZERO (2004) ** Ben Kingsley, Aaron Eckhart, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry J. Lennix, Kevin Chamberlin, Chloe Russell, Nicole DeHuff, William Mapother. (Dir: E. Elias Merhige) 'Se7en' – 'Silence of the Lambs' = 'Zero' Trying to make a serial killer film, a sub genre that appears to have overtaken the unstoppable killing machine teen slasher (think Jason or Freddy) that took horror films to another level, must be like attempting to build a snowman in July: not much fun and pointless since it's damn near impossible to perfect an impossibility. Take the case of this unique perspective to a 15 minutes-of-fame and ticking category : a serial killer killing serial killers! OK now try to convince me for nearly two hours of my time why I should care? Well it was a good idea. Anyway the premise of the latest style over substance take on it is having a disgraced FBI profiler named Mackelway (Eckhart) being reassigned to the desert of New Mexico when he finds the dullness only adding to his current state of blinding migraines (he chomps on aspirin like Chiclets) until a ghastly murder is found at the border – literally – with some follow up faxes sent directly to him. It seems a former specialty agent, O'Ryan (Sir Ben acting up a storm), who was assigned to a shadowy sect project entitled Icarus (read: getting too close to the sun; burning – foreshadowing of things to come) where highly intelligent applicants were able to 'see' the minds of serial killers at work and transcribing their thoughts into para psychological scribblings in charcoal pencil that would lead them to their quarry. Apparently it has affected O'Ryan to the point of obsession and causing him to act as a rogue executioner of the filth he was assigned to locate. What happens next is a series of murders of murderers that lead a grisly wake to some serious soul searching for one Agent Mackelway. To complicate matters his former partner – and ex-lover – Agent Kulok (Moss) has been called in to help him and his new prickly boss Charelton (Lennix also late of the 'Matrix' flicks) crack the case wide open. I admit it seems a tad outrageous that someone could psychically forecast an upcoming crime however it is set in fiction and there was a cool 'X-Files' episode 'Unruhe' that had a similar story but it involved Polaroids instead of sketchings. Regardless you have to give the creative team an A for effort yet the screenplay by Zak Penn and Billy Ray is a Luke-warm reheating of 'Se7en' with Kingsley as an ersatz John Doe serving up justice with a nasty slicing off of the victims' eyelids to show what he sees they see and the 'Silence of the Lambs' backbiting of its federal peacekeepers at odds with what they cannot. Eckhart seems wasted of his talent in a somewhat muted turn – he should be more tortured if that is what his character is implied to be and Moss is undeniably sleepwalking her way through the film no thanks to bad lighting making one of the screen's most lovely women look downright homely. Kingsley has proven to be a very versatile actor notably ditching his Gandhi peace for sinister doings in 'Sexy Beast' a few years ago and here he makes the most of his deeply troubled psychic warrior with a few moments of glass sharp scares. Director Merhige a relative newcomer employs the usual shaky camera work with some interesting visual courtesy of his ace cinematographer Michael Chapman with its desaturated colors and vibrantly dark moments that underlie the terror at hand. Too bad it couldn't shed it in a more intriguing light.

After a series of grisly murders FBI Agent Mackelway suspects that they are linked. And that the killer may actually be after another serial killer who may or may not really exist. Naturally, his colleagues think that he is nuts, but that doesn't stop him from investigating. This movie is a perfect example of flawed masterpiece. The plot is very interesting. The plot twists are surprising. The performances are good. The film's originality good enough to enjoy and the suspense is great. However, despite this there is still something missing. Something so critical that even though the film shines in many respects by the end you feel like you could have gotten so much more. That missing element would have to be part pace and part presentation. The film starts very slowly, but picks up once more clues are revealed by Mackelway. Though this is at least halfway through the movie. Then the presentation is a bit weird. It makes the film standout from others, but it also makes it confusing in parts, namely the beginning. Then by the time it is finished you feel more like you have just watched a good X-Files episode. Overall it is a good mystery for patient audiences. --- 7/10 Rated R for grim violence