Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Advertisements
Advertisements

Latest thriller leaves audiences with ‘zero’ chills

E. Elias Merhige’s first feature film, “Shadow of the Vampire,” greatly benefited from its originality. Just how much so is obvious within the first 10 minutes of his follow-up, the not-so-thrilling thriller “Suspect Zero.” The phrase, “It was a dark and stormy night,” probably begins the film’s screenplay.

At first “Suspect Zero” appears to be of the typical cat-and-mouse variety, replete with a once honored but now shamed FBI agent, Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart, “Erin Brockovich”), being spoon-fed clues by Benjamin O’Ryan (Ben Kingsley, “House of Sand and Fog”), a serial killer who uses remote viewing to track and kill other serial killers.

The resemblance between Eckhart’s character to Angelina Jolie’s in the last should-have-went-directly-to-video thriller “Taking Lives” is obvious, though Eckhart doesn’t get to have a sex scene with Ethan Hawk.

Advertisements

What is at first a potentially interesting, albeit cliché, concept quickly dovetails into a “let’s throw a bunch of crap at the wall and see what sticks” mode of storytelling. “Suspect Zero,” not so much convoluted as unfocused, jumps from one genre to another as if suffering from attention deficit disorder. Screenwriters Zak Penn and Billy Ray should take Ritalin before writing another script.

The film’s only constants are its extreme close-ups of all things circular. We probably see more shots of Kingsley’s right eye than we do of his face. The killer can see things others can’t, we can see his eye, his eye can see us, what his eye sees is something we can’t…clever, isn’t it?

Not content with being just a mediocre cat-and-mouse thriller, “Suspect Zero” also wants to be a mediocre murder mystery and a mediocre police procedural. That the opening scene suggests a horror film only adds to its identity crisis.

Not to complicate matters with shades of gray, but all of O’Ryan’s victims are rapists, child killers or child killers/rapists. We get lingering shots of kidnapped children, charcoal drawings of their tortured bodies and even a shot of a human mask made from a little girl’s face. At least there are no children being ripped apart by shoddy, computer-generated hyenas a la “Exorcist: The Beginning.” Those will have to wait until the Renny Harlin remake.

There’s a scene late in the film where O’Ryan points a revolver at a highway patrolman. The movie jumps ahead, leaving the audience wondering whether or not the poor man’s brains will remain in his head long enough to rethink the stupidity behind letting our sublimely creepy protagonist reach back into his car after already stepping out to hand over a hunting knife. Audience members unable to guess the outcome of this event will no doubt champion “Suspect Zero” as the best psychological thriller since “Kiss the Girls.”

Strangely, the film’s most interesting character turns out to be its technical consultant, retired Maj. Edward Dames, who helped pioneer remote viewing and cameos as (what else?) one of its instructors. What is remote viewing? According to Remote-Viewing.com, it is the controlled, methodological approach to perceiving the past, present or future by transcending space and time. And it’s for sale!

Simply go to the website, , and register for the beginner’s level class. For the ridiculously low starting price of $149, you too can be just like Benjamin O’Ryan: perpetually tired, haunted by the unblinking eyes of dead children and screaming victims you’re powerless to help and in possession of an unwavering, self-righteous determination to enact vigilante justice on their killers. And if you’re really skilled, you can even leave behind archaic clues that point to a resolution obvious to everyone but the person you’re leaving them for. Though O’Ryan is unable to “turn it off” in the film and remains tortured by the unending parade of horrific images that penetrate his psyche, the ability is, in reality, quite safe. Just be sure to ask for a money-back guarantee.

Grade: C

Advertisements
Leave a Comment
Donate to The Badger Herald

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Wisconsin-Madison. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Badger Herald

Comments (0)

All The Badger Herald Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *