Challenging, infuriating, hate it or love it, it has the distinction of being unforgettable
Suspect Zero (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:22
Rotten:105
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Other than Ben Kingsley, there's not much to like in this preposterous thriller.
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Dramas
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
Reviews for Suspect Zero
A poor man's 'Silence of the Lambs' crossed with 'Insomnia.' And that makes it at least a decent popcorn movie.
While the plotting doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, it does skew conventions enough to leave the viewer edgy and wondering what will unfold with each progressive scene.
It’s said that great British actors will do anything for money. This is the case with Ben Kingsley, who gives a great performance in a rather sucky serial killer thriller.
In the end, Suspect Zero is more interesting as filmmaking than it is as a thriller.
Suspect Zero hits the middle ground, with a modestly compelling storyline ...
The film is undeniably flawed, yet the things that work do so beautifully.
Suspect Zero is that rare case of a dull idea redeemed by sharp talent.
Suspect Zero won't hold up particularly well on repeated viewings. But, for now, it's a decent scary movie to ease us into fall.
The self-consciously arty thriller is a sort of one-size-fits-all audience horror orgy, with an intriguing mix of fixations
[A] visually jarring, psychologically daring trip that explores terror in a fresh, if crazy, manner.
...enough of a departure from genre routine to keep thriller-savvy film watchers engaged, but not enough of a departure to leave a lasting impression.
Suspect Zero is intriguing enough to be worth deciphering. It just delivers zero scares.
Suspect Zero never really escapes the shadow of Se7en but has more to say -- and show -- than most of that movie's imitators.
Latest News for Suspect Zero
July 06, 2007:
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June 13, 2005:
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