Slips on the banana peel of exaggerated fear factor, falling facedown with the introduction of an über-creep serial killer (Ben Kingsley) grimly stalking some hapless prey.
Suspect Zero (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:6
Rotten:25
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Other than Ben Kingsley, there's not much to like in this preposterous thriller.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violent content, language and some nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Aug 27, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $8,570,393
Synopsis: It's 4 AM and torrents of rain pour down on a dusty roadside New Mexico diner. Inside, an innocuous looking salesman sips coffee while catching up on his fishing magazines. After the front door... It's 4 AM and torrents of rain pour down on a dusty roadside New Mexico diner. Inside, an innocuous looking salesman sips coffee while catching up on his fishing magazines. After the front door creaks open, an unusual looking man startles the salesman by sitting down at his table and displaying frightening drawings that send the salesman fleeing for the safety of his car. We meet Agent Thomas Mackelway on his first day of work at the Albuquerque field office of the FBI. Mackelway, wrestling with secrets and demons from his past, is plagues by headaches and feels that he is being watched. And in fact he is... but by whom? Mackelway finds himself mysteriously drawn into a bizarre series of murders: the salesman from the diner found dead in his car on the deserted New Mexico border; a sixth grade teacher from Boulder, Co. discovered in an abandoned vehicle in the diner parking lot; and Mackelay's own personal nemesis, killed while attacking a young girl. Mackelway's former partner, Fran Kulok, who knows Mackelway's deepest secrets, is sent to Albuquerque to assist him on the case. Together, they set out to solve this lethal puzzle. What do these murders have in common? The case becomes increasingly personal as Mackelway's determination turns to obsession. The killer seems to be taunting him, faxing him hundreds of maddening, chilling clues, all of which point to a cunning renegade named Benjamin O'Ryan. Trained in a secret government remote viewing program which enabled five elite agents to get into the hearts and minds of killers and their victims, O'Ryan became consumed with tracking the ultimate manifestation of a killer -- Suspect Zero. -- © Paramount Pictures [More]
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry J. Lennix
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss, Harry J. Lennix
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Director: E. Elias Merhige
Screenwriter: Billy Ray, Zak Penn
Producer: Paula Wagner
Composer: Clint Marsell
Studio: Paramount Pictures
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Reviews for Suspect Zero
[A] visually jarring, psychologically daring trip that explores terror in a fresh, if crazy, manner.
Its junkiness shines through its posh patina. Exploitation is just no fun anymore, now that it's all so damn tasteful.
A grisly, depraved and wholly uninvolving exercise in empty mannerism.
Suspect Zero is that rare case of a dull idea redeemed by sharp talent.
The movie is a black hole of failed ambition that mystifies on every level and offers zero payoff.
The latest evidence that Hollywood has run the se rial-killer thriller into the ground through overuse.
Suspect Zero never really escapes the shadow of Se7en but has more to say -- and show -- than most of that movie's imitators.
For all its trying, Suspect Zero ultimately fails to hit home. It falls somewhere between a genre picture and arty exploration of big themes.
This movie isn't talking to us, it's talking to other serial killer movies.
If it's true that the state of New Mexico floated an interest-free, $7.5 million loan for the makers of Suspect Zero in exchange for 2.5% of the film's profits, look for a taxpayer revolt in the Land of Enchantment.
Perhaps a better title for this mess would have been Avenging Angels in America or, better yet, The Silence of the Logic.
Finally, a serial-killer movie so preposterous it may actually put a permanent kibosh on this tediously overworked crime subgenre.
Latest News for Suspect Zero
July 06, 2007:
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At first I was completely annoyed when I read the news. Then I heard who was writing the remake, and I felt a little bit better. More...
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June 13, 2005:
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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