| Suspect Zero | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | E. Elias Merhige |
| Produced by | Lester Berman Gaye Hirsch E. Elias Merhige Darren Miller Paula Wagner Tom Cruise (uncredited) Executive: Moritz Borman Guy East Gary Lucchesi Tom Rosenberg Jonathan Sanger Nigel Sinclair |
| Written by | Zak Penn Billy Ray |
| Starring | Aaron Eckhart Ben Kingsley Carrie-Anne Moss Kevin Chamberlin Harry J. Lennix |
| Music by | Clint Mansell |
| Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
| Editing by | John Gilroy Robert K. Lambert |
| Studio | Intermedia Films Lakeshore Entertainment Cruise/Wagner |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 27, 2004 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $27 million |
| Box office | $11,416,075 |
Suspect Zero is a 2004 thriller film directed by E. Elias Merhige. It opened to decidedly mixed reviews, and failed to earn back half of its estimated $27 million production costs at the box office.
Contents |
FBI agents Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) and Fran Kulok (Carrie-Anne Moss) are put on the trail of Ben O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley), a serial killer who exclusively targets other serial killers. As the investigation proceeds, the agents begin to become aware of the possible existence of "Suspect Zero", a mythical "super serial killer" responsible for hundreds of deaths across all 50 states who leaves no evidence behind to link his crimes together. The agents must decide if O'Ryan is the key that will allow them to catch Suspect Zero, or if he is Suspect Zero himself.
As it turns out, O'Ryan was part of a secret government experiment attempting to cultivate telepathic abilities in individuals for military purposes. The experiments gave O'Ryan the ability to see the actions of serial killers. These disturbing visions constantly torment O'Ryan, and drive him to find the killers and kill them. O'Ryan seeks out Mackelway because Mackelway shares his abilities to some degree and was involved in a controversial case that made headlines. O'Ryan hunts down Suspect Zero, whose child victims are giving O'Ryan even more nightmares.
The actual "Suspect Zero" is another man who travels over the United States with a truck. He targets children, whom he kidnaps and transports to his ranch to be killed.
Eventually, Mackelway and O'Ryan find Suspect Zero at his ranch. After a struggle outside, Suspect Zero is killed when Mackelway crushes his skull with a rock. O'Ryan then tries to convince Mackelway to end his suffering by killing him. When Mackelway refuses, O'Ryan pretends to attack him, prompting Kulok (who is watching from a distance) to shoot him to defend her partner.
A major motif of the film is remote viewing, and the DVD's extra features include interviews with people who worked with the US military and intelligence agencies as part of those programs.