For political insiders this was a surprise answer to their research question. ‘In order to win the next election what age will Labour now let the UK population vote?’ But Zero is the latest film from celebrated Congolese filmmaker (now there’s a phrase we never expected to be writing) Jean Luc Herbulot. An actioner set in Dakar, prompting our Editor to ask why not set it in Da Plane or in Da Bus (‘You’re fired! – Ed) with the two leading protagonists known only as #1 and #2 who meet at the end of the first act both strapped up with suicide vests already counting down to detonation. As it turns out neither have been shopping in the ISIS summer selection clothing range but instead are at the beck and call of a voice (a smoothly villainous Willem Dafoe) from the earpiece they both wear with instructions to carry out five increasingly dangerous missions within a certain time limit or the vests will be detonated. So whilst #1 is initially a sartorially elegant guy, #2 is a tracksuit wearing bruiser and the expected mismatched duo are forced to work together to save themselves.
It’s a boisterous and slick first act and owes much to the immediacy of the ‘Crank’ films and we know little about either protagonists backgrounds and how they even found themselves in such a situation but the film occasionally moves beyond its core action as the film progresses into a saggy second act before things pick up again.
Zero has an overtly political and slightly convoluted plotting that sees one character say about the country’s population, ‘Look at the conditions they are living in. No jobs, no money, they have nothing. Look at the misery you created’. It’s a line not heard since levelled at Keir Starmer but here it’s the US interference with Africa (in this instance Senegal) that is being called into question with the blunt subtext being that the West is bad.
As well as directing Jean Luc Herbulot co-writes and action is well shot employing handheld cameras dashing through crowds to coolly casual overhead drone shots and as a calling card for Hollywood this will serve him well and despite the occasional sluggish moments Zero doesn’t outstay its 90 minutes welcome.
related feature : John Cena & Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the ‘Heads of State’ premiere in London.
related feature : Taz Skylar tells us about his actioner ‘Cleaner’ with Daisy Ridley
Here’s the Zero trailer…..
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