Our Flick of the Week is “Zero Effect,” the first excellent film of 1998, a smart and oddly sexy detective story that is mostly about a fascinating personality, a brilliant control freak billed as the world’s greatest, most intuitive, private investigator.
Bill Pullman, who made a lackluster president of the United States in “Independence Day,” comes alive in the role of Daryl Zero, a private detective who can solve crimes and find missing persons with a single phone call. In this story — and I hope that there will be more Daryl Zero stories filmed; yes, I’m actually rooting for a sequel — Zero has been hired to find out who is extorting a Portland, Ore., timber tycoon (Ryan O’Neal in a nice comeback role).
The problem is that Zero turns out to have a character flaw, though it would seem he is impervious to such. His flaw? He is capable of falling in love. A cute paramedic (Kim Dickens in a most fetching performance) catches his eye while they are both working out at a health club.
The storyline of “Zero Effect” is not overly tricky, and that’s a good decision — one of many by writer-director Jake Kasdan, the son of talented writer-director Lawrence Kasdan (“Body Heat,” “Grand Canyon”), which proves there really is a genetic code. More important than solving the mystery is our pleasure in watching two smart and sexy characters encounter each other and match wits. Yes, smart can be sexy without being explicit. “Zero Effect” is a treat. Rated R. (star) (star) (star) (star)
– APOSTLE. Robert Duvall plays a revival preacher who tries to solve his own set of personal problems while bringing the power of faith to others. One can expect Duvall to deliver his sermons with relish. But what is unexpected, and turns out to be the enduring pleasure of this film, is the way the script complicates Duvall’s character by making him a flawed soul. R. (star) (star) (star)
– DEEP RISING. A boring sea monster story set in the South China Sea where a cruise ship comes under attack from both looters and a giant squid-type creature. Let’s just say you can anticipate almost every element in this story, especially the routine banging on the ship’s walls. The creature is not the least bit thrilling. R. (star)
– GREAT EXPECTATIONS. A fine modernization of the Charles Dickens classic with Ethan Hawke as the young man who chases an impossible target (Gwyneth Paltrow) from childhood to adulthood in the name of love. The strength of this version is that enough screen time is given over to Hawke’s character’s life apart from the woman of his dreams. That it is important to him that he also succeed as an artist is crucial to the balance of this story. R. (star) (star) (star) 1/2
– = New this week
