Suspect Zero (2004)

A mysterious serial killer is hunting other serial killers - and one FBI agent suspects there may be more to the vigilante than they imagine.

Director:

E. Elias Merhige

Writers:

Zak Penn (story), Zak Penn (screenplay),

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Ben Kingsley, Carrie-Anne Moss

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Thomas Mackelway
Ben Kingsley	...	Benjamin O'Ryan
Carrie-Anne Moss	...	Fran Kulok
Harry Lennix	...	Rich Charleton
Kevin Chamberlin	...	Harold Speck
Julian Reyes	...	Highway Patrolman
Keith Campbell	...	Raymond Starkey
Chloe Russell	...	Loretta
Ellen Blake	...	Dolly
William B. Johnson	...	Mel
Jerry Gardner	...	Sheriff Harry Dylan
Daniel Patrick Moriarty	...	Bud Granger
Curtis Plagge	...	Jumbo
Nicole DeHuff	...	Katie Potter
William Mapother	...	Bill Grieves

Storyline

When Dallas FBI Agent Thomas Mackelway violates serial killer Raymond Starkey's civil rights during an unorthodox arrest, Starkey goes free and Mackelway is demoted to a remote branch of the agency in Albuquerque. His first day on the job, Mackelway investigates the murder of a traveling salesman Harold Speck, which turns out to be the first of three seemingly random killings. Or perhaps they are not random at all; the last to die is Mackelway's nemesis, Raymond Starkey. The assignment consumes him. His past mistakes haunt him. His head throbs constantly as he tries to find the link between the victims that will lead him to their killer. The case becomes increasingly gruesome and patently personal. This does not go unnoticed by his unflappable partner Fran Kulok, who knows of Mackelway's past and the demons that afflict him. Like Mackelway, she becomes drawn into the labyrinth of chilling clues, all of which point to the enigmatic Benjamin O'Ryan. O'Ryan clearly has a connection to ...

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | fbi agent | serial killer | salesman | murder | 

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Taglines:

Who's next?

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content, language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Columbia Tristar [fr] Paramount [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nulti osumljičeni

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,446,375 (USA) (27 August 2004)

Gross:

$8,712,564 (USA) (15 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Intermedia Films, Lakeshore Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

$7.5 million of the budget came from the state of New Mexico through an interest-free loan. In return, the state will get 2.5% of the box office, until it makes $90 million or over, at which point they will get 3% of the gross.

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) The agents are trying to pinpoint missing people on a map with locations marked with yellow push-pins. One of the people missing was from Dyersville, Iowa which is strange for 2 reasons: 1. the dot is located in the south-central portion of the state hinting that it may be the capital Des Moines and 2. Dyersville is in the far eastern part of the state while the lead agent points to eastern Nebraska.

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Quotes

Sheriff Harry Dylan: [about victim] Fella's name is Harold Speck, traveling salesman from T or C.
Thomas Mackelway: T or C?
Sheriff Harry Dylan: Truth or Consequences. It's a town, slick.

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Crazy Credits

The opening Paramount logo is brown (to resemble the desert) and the water in the Intermedia logo is black.

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Connections

Referenced in Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Zulema"
(1980)
Written by Santiago Jiménez (as Santiago Jimenez)
Performed by Santiago Jiménez (as Santiago Jimenez)
Courtesy of Arhoolie Records

User Reviews

awful

There is admittedly some potential in the concept behind this film -- in the hands of Jonathan Demme or David Fincher, this story could have been something great. But this, unfortunately, is not the case with Merhige at the helm: the film meanders and stutters with pointless cliche. I felt so badly for the talented cast who were obviously struggling to get through this dreck. There is no way to identify with any of the characters' motivations -- it plays like a bunch of unrelated vignettes strung together (I had similar feelings about the semi-successful 'Shadow of the Vampire'). The pacing is slow and tedious, not unlike the equally insufferable 'Begotten'. There is nothing to grasp hold of and take from this movie. Skip this one.