Zero Day

"Excellent"

Zero Day Review


Columbine-inspired films have become a small industry in recent years, with movies like Elephant and American Yearbook cranking out at a solid clip.

Zero Day is another entry into this budding genre, and it's a quite good one, comprising the video diary of two troubled teens (Calvin Robertson and Andre Keuck) who methodically plan and carry out a rampage at their highschool. The story's (unfortunately) familiar now, but the execution here is innovative.

Taking a cue from Blair Witch, the killers spend the entire film with a video camera focused on either character as they spend nearly a year planning for "zero day," so-called because they plan to launch their attack on the first day of the school year when the temperature hits zero degrees. While they wait, they build pipe bombs, modify their parents' guns, and discuss the many reasons they have -- or don't -- for murdering their classmates.

Eventually, zero day arrives, and the attack commences. (It's not seen from the video camera but rather from a security camera, with a grating 911 call operator providing voice over for the 15-minute event.) The film ends with a ridiculous denouement that feels like an attempt to give the victims' side a point of view here, but it's absurd in the given structure of the movie and weakens the film considerably.

Director Ben Coccio coaxes amazing performances from his teen actors, and I can't even begin to fathom how he gained permission to shoot this movie from their parents and the (apparently) real school in which the massacre takes place. It's a challenging picture that stands as probably the most realistic look at how far teen angst can really go, along with the reasons why it exists in the first place.

Recommended.

The DVD includes a rambling commentary track, screen tests, and various supporting vignettes.



Zero Day

Facts and Figures

Run time: 92 mins

In Theaters: Friday 23rd January 2004

Distributed by: Avatar Films

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Fresh: 28 Rotten: 13

IMDB: 7.5 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Producer:

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews