Suspect Zero Genre: Thriller, Drama Rated: R Directed by: E. ELIAS MERHIGE Produced by: PAULA WAGNER, E. ELIAS MERHIGE, GAYE HIRSCH Starring: AARON ECKHART, BEN KINGSLEY, CARRIE-ANNE MOSS Released by: Paramount Pictures In Short: While Eckhart, Kingsley and Moss are remarkably intense and fun to watch, the preposterous plot offers nothing fresh or original to the serial thriller genre.

Plenty of Gore but Plot is Suspect
Tired Pastiche of the Serial Killer Genre Draws a Zero
By Cherie Saunders

Demoted FBI agent Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) investigates a series of grotesque murders in New Mexico that appear to link to his own troubled past. Joining the hunt for the killer is Agent Fran Kulok (Carrie-Anne Moss), Mackelway's former partner and one of the few who knows his personal demons. As the two struggle to bury old baggage, the murders keep piling up, one more "eye-popping" than the other.

The clues left behind soon point to a sadistic renegade named Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley). Mackelway now has his man, whom he calls Suspect Zero. Tracking him down, however, exposes a deep and disturbing bond between both of these tortured souls. Bottom line, this film is not for the squeamish.

Merhige goes over the top with eye-bulging corpses and autopsy photos that are truly stomach turning. If such images don't bother you, the gimmicky plot just might. The entire film rests on a psychic phenomenon called remote viewing, a supposed real-life tactic by which trained individuals can telepathically get into the minds of killers and their victims. In researching the movie, Mehrige discovered that the U.S. has been using this ESP method of tracking down suspects since stealing the concept from the Russians decades ago. But will audiences really buy into this?

Eckhart, Kingsley and Moss are remarkably intense and fun to watch, but a preposterous plot and the tired ol' cat-and-mouse game between the hunter and the hunted offers nothing fresh or original to the serial thriller genre.