Zero (2024) Movie Review: An Engaging Rehash, For Better or Worse

Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot grabbed the Cine-world’s curiosity with the 2021 horror-thriller, “Saloum.” Despite the heavy influences of many genres, the film stood apart due to its innate African essence with the astute amalgamation of genre tropes and African mythology. So it is surprising that his latest, “Zero,” comes across as a tepid rehash of a multitude of the early new Millennium Hollywood films where the American hero has to survive the heat and the dingy alleys of a developing country, all with a yellow tinge.

When a film starts with the protagonist waking up on a crowded bus in Dakar (The capital city of Senegal) to find himself strapped with a bomb, one cannot help but be hooked. What follows is the familiar tale of American citizens trying to make the best out of a tricky situation in an unfamiliar territory and culture. I say ‘Citizens’ in plural because “Zero” has two American protagonists dressed in bombs. These men, named Number 1 (Hus Miller) and Number 2 (Cam McHarg) for simplicity’s sake, are asked to complete certain tasks by a voice on a phone. The obvious threat of detonating the bombs if they failed to do so hangs over their head.

The script, written by Herbulot and Miller, takes us through a journey that, despite being quite engaging, comes across as a ghost of a mix of many Hollywood thrillers that have the words ‘bomb’ and ‘terrorist’ in their loglines. The film gets an additional layer of the buddy-cop-comedy shade once the two protagonists meet each other. With Number 1’s scandalized bank manager energy and Number 2’s silently violent hitman flavor, “Zero” relies a lot on the chemistry between Miller and McHarg. And to be fair, the pair does quite well under the circumstances.

Speaking of acting performances, “Zero” has a delightfully funny ace up its sleeve. It is the performance of the legendary actor, Willem Dafoe. Granted, we do not see the actor’s face, but the familiar voice makes quite the impression as it narrates the macabre instructions to the two bombers. Dafoe’s tauntingly menacing voice performance perfectly punctuates the otherwise uneven story. Herbulot and Miller’s script has the chaos but not the originality. As a result, when the film does try to become serious, it misses the necessary nuances that are needed to elevate the film’s message to more than a rant.

Yes, as expected, “Zero” does carry a message. The violence foisted on the streets of Dakar on that sunny day does have a purpose. An unsurprisingly ‘greater good’ motivation. However, the heavy-handed approach that leads us to the revelation of the message dampens the desired potency, a potency that was altogether achievable. The key hindrance to that was succumbing to the temptation of genre tropes. “Zero” navigates through drug lords and religious leaders, stashing huge amounts of money, and a desperate attempt to reclaim a family. Unlike “Saloum,” all these universal situations do not blend with the local flavour. Sure, they occur on the streets of Senegal, but nothing stops the story from being set in Manhattan either.

Characters come and go without any lasting impact on the essence of the film. Colorful characters, and characters that could have been used to lay the foundation for the climactic message. Alas, they remain restricted to the boundaries of plot devices. Their action and the actions subjected upon them are important in the film. But that importance lies limited to the story’s climax. We do not hear from them. Resultantly, indifference seeps in. We are aware of the characters, but from a distance.

The only exception to that was Daniel (Gary Dourdan). The final boss, as one could say. Dourdan channels the necessary charisma as Daniel, one of the masterminds of the operation. But it is too little too late. Without the necessary foundation, Dourdan’s Daniel has to regurgitate everything. He has to rant to drive the point home while engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the two bombing protagonists. The effect is far less impactful. The same could be said about the potential friendship between the two heroes. There were not enough poignant moments between the two. Humorous moments? Yes. But poignant? Not so much. So, when Number 2 decides to give his money to Number 1’s daughter, it comes across as an afterthought. It was not a heartwarming moment. Like the film itself, it also feels like a hurried rehash.