Suspect Zero (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writers (WGA):

Zak Penn (story)
Zak Penn (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Who's next?

Plot:

A mysterious serial killer is hunting other serial killers - and one FBI agent suspects there may be more to the vigilante than they imagine.

Plot Keywords:

Tears | Hanging Out Washing | Extrasensory Perception | Quantico Virginia | Band

Cast

Aaron Eckhart	...	Thomas Mackelway
Ben Kingsley	...	Benjamin O'Ryan
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Fran Kulok
Harry Lennix	...	Rich Charleton
Kevin Chamberlin	...	Harold Speck
Julian Reyes	...	Highway Patrolman
Keith Campbell	...	Raymond Starkey
Alexa Russell	...	Loretta (as Chloe Russell)
Ellen Blake	...	Dolly
William B. Johnson	...	Mel
Jerry Gardner	...	Sheriff Harry Dylan
Daniel Patrick Moriarty	...	Bud Granger
Curtis Plagge	...	Jumbo
Nicole DeHuff	...	Katie Potter
William Mapother	...	Bill Grieves

Also Known As:

Suspect 0 (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent content, language and some nudity.

Runtime:

USA:99 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:15 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:18A | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40067) | Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

$7.5 million of the budget came from the state of New Mexico through an interest-free loan. In return, the state will get 2.5% of the box office, until it makes $90 million or over, at which point they will get 3% of the gross.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Mackelway is reading his first fax, some of the pieces of paper on the right side of the bulletin board appear and disappear between shots.

Quotes:

Thomas Mackelway: Where's the boy?
Benjamin O'Ryan: The boy is in pieces under the bed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Night Is for Dreamers

Stylish Serial-Killer Movie

I very much enjoyed the stylish way this serial-killer movie was presented. It also gets high points for keeping ones interest all the way.

Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kisnley are very good. Kinslgey, unfortunately, doesn't appear until over halfway through but made up for his lack of screen time with an intense performance. He's good at that sort of thing (see "Sexy Beast" for another recent example.)

The story, claimed to be a true one out of U.S. military files, is still a bit "suspect" to me, because I know Hollywood's hatred for the military, but this could be true. Perhaps there was just a project, but I am also skeptical of these ESP-type stories which the film world loves to promote, along with any kind of occult theory.

Nonetheless, this is a very interesting film, nicely shot and an underrated one since it never got much publicity. If you like crimes movies, this movie is one to check out.