An American man referred to as #1 (Hus Miller) wakes up on a bus in Dakar, Senegal with a bomb strapped to his chest and a 10-hour countdown. He’s handed a phone and an earpiece as the voice on the phone (Willem Dafoe) claims that #1 will be set free after completing five missions.
Around the second mission, #1 crosses paths with another American, known as #2 (Cam McHarg) with a bomb strapped to his chest and an identical countdown. #1 and #2 are forced into being partners if they want to survive.
From co-writer and director Jean Luc Herbulot and co-writer and lead actor Hus Miller, Zero is a mess of a film that has trouble deciding if it wants to be an erratic comedy, an unpredictable thriller, or an action film with a message. Zero partially develops each concept into a film that is nothing more than lackluster during its best moments.
The word “comedy” should be used lightly since Zero is never amusing. A mediocre highlight is when #1 and #2 are forced to snort a bunch of cocaine because they’re trying to impress the drug lord for their current mission. It is ridiculous how the first few missions are these Jackass-related stunts or involve them putting their livelihood on the line solely to move on to the next mission.
The missions aren’t their only obstacle as they’re trying to dodge the cops and constant helicopter surveillance. According to the voice on the phone, the prisons in Senegal are “no joke.” But it’s like Zero loses its life-threatening steam halfway through and sends these bomb-wearing bros out into the world to run everyday errands.
The action in Zero isn’t great either. #2 is built out to be some badass with military training, but his action sequences are balls. His first big fight involves him fighting off two guys, but the film is noticeably edited every time #2 throws a punch. One of the missions involves #1 and #2 picking up a man named Daniel (Gary Dourdan) in a car. Dourdan fights about as well as the sloppiest of big wrestlers in the WWE as the camera seems to purposely avoid showcasing anyone throwing an actual punch.
The reasoning behind why these two Americans are being targeted is contrived by a bomb fetishist that you never get to see. This voice keeps track of the Americans' mission progress by drones. The missions become more and more elaborate as the film stumbles into its final act albeit they also get less and less interesting. The first mission involves stealing a phone from an amateur wrestler without getting your ass kicked while the last mission is to take this famous-on-social-media goat to this guy’s wedding.
The ending conveys a deep and ambiguous message, trying to make the voice on the phone look brilliant and paint America as one of the most evil countries in the world. This would be easier to swallow if Zero didn’t portray the people of Senegal as mindless sheep who are ridiculously easy to manipulate.
The film walks this thin line of not only terrorism controlling the world but that Americans are the only ones diabolical enough to control an entire country like this. It’s not even about whether or not you think America is evil or not. It comes off as this force-fed concept that is leaned on solely so the possibility of a sequel can be left open.
The cinematography is the best part of the film. Cinematographer Gregory Turbellier utilizes a ton of drone shots of Senegal portraying how vast the city is and how cramped its architecture is to navigate. Some of these shots look like miniatures were used, but if that’s the case it meshes with actual footage flawlessly.
There’s a decent premise buried in here somewhere and Willem Dafoe is great in just about anything, but Zero is more like a violent case of explosive diarrhea than a worthwhile thrilling action film.
The acting is subpar. These guys are sent on a wild goose chase for the dumbest of reasons. The CGI fire is distinctly cheap-looking. The ending tries to toss in a couple of different twists into its last few minutes, resulting in this deflated soufflé of rigmarole, which is exactly what a fast-paced thriller shouldn’t be.
