Roush Review: Robert De Niro to the Rescue in Cyber Thriller ‘Zero Day’
Review
Zero Day
A chilling throwback to cautionary Cold War-era fables like Fail Safe and Seven Days in May, the timely and taut six-part political conspiracy thriller Zero Day (from Narcos showrunner Eric Newman and NBC News alum Noah Oppenheim) juggles enough worst-case scenarios to turn the viewer into a basket case.
In a rare TV role, Robert De Niro projects the necessary authority and gravitas to try to calm a frantic and fractured nation as former president George Mullen, a one-term leader who stepped down in the wake of a family tragedy. He’s called out of retirement by the current president (the formidable Angela Bassett) to head a commission to root out the unknown terrorists who paralyzed the U.S. with a sudden and devastating, though mercifully brief, cyberattack that hijacked American infrastructure and transportation, resulting in thousands of casualties.
Netflix
Causing alarm with the widespread warning, “This will happen again,” the “Zero Day” event fuels financial panic and mob mayhem amid waves of disinformation (so what else is new). After some persuasion, Mullen takes the reins of the new commission, pleading, “If we keep shouting at each other like this, what are we going to accomplish?” Soon enough, outspoken critics emerge, including Matthew Modine as the opposition’s Speaker of the House, who’s not above weaponizing the crisis for political gain, Dan Stevens as an opportunistic fringe-media blowhard, and Gaby Hoffmann as a disruptive tech mogul. They despair that Team Mullen’s unregulated borderline-torture tactics may be a cure worse than the disease.
They’re not entirely wrong, and even those who know Mullen best — including his wife (Joan Allen), an appellate court candidate, his estranged congresswoman daughter (Lizzy Caplan), his loyal right-hand man (Jesse Plemons), and former chief of staff (Connie Britton) — begin to have good reason to question his emotional and mental stability. Or are they being played as well?
As the scope of the conspiracy comes into focus, Mullen delivers a challenge that resonates uncannily in today’s real world: “Destroying democracy is not the way to save it.” Or, as Zero Day asks, if the lights go out again, will we be left in darkness?
Zero Day, Limited Series Premiere (six episodes), Thursday, February 20, Netflix
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O
What good is Zero Day when it is not on regular TV? Only a small segment of the population can afford Netflix!
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L
It's a movie. People pay to watch movies.
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R
Where’s the review?
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A
With reality being so fraught these days, I wonder if I can take any more doomsday scenarios. I will definitely give it a try. Will be refreshing to see an intelligent president.
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J
Really, Matt? "Robert De Niro projects the necessary authority and gravitas..." His constant, real-life and unhinged rants these last few months before and after the election have taken a toll on his legacy.
It saddens me that you were once a great oracle for so many concerning the world of Primetime television, and now you highlight this drivel "a challenge that resonates uncannily in today’s real world: “Destroying democracy is not the way to save it.”" Was the recent election not democratic? Were we not informed by the mainstream media that the President was in his right mind during all those White House briefing he constantly held during his four years in office? Did we not get to vote for who would be the representative of the Democratic party?... Okay, sorry, I get your point now.
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