By Doug Levy
Arizona Daily Wildcat
February 9, 1998

More than zero

'Zero Effect' leaves a lasting impression

Photo courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment. Arizona Daily Wildcat Bill Pullman explores his inner loony as Daryl Zero, "the world's most private detective," in Jake Kasdan's debut feature film, " Zero Effect."

Let me tell you something, kids. The world is not a friendly place.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's bastards like me saying things like that who cause the problems in the first place. Be that as it may, it's a cold, cold world, and there's no warm front on the horizon.

Of course, living in your own little bubbles, everything may be bright and cheery - life is full of sunshine and lollipops and the enemy is nowhere to be seen, right?

But he's out there. And he's gonna get you.

Okay, now continue to follow this train of thought and you can consider yourself an official apprentice in the art of paranoia.

Keep at it, and one day maybe you can reach the level of the master, Daryl Zero, the world's best, yet most reclusive, private detective.

Cue the opening credits of "Zero Effect," the debut feature film from writer/director Jake Kasdan.

Let the lesson continue.

Daryl Zero is a master of disguise. Daryl Zero is an expert judge of character. Daryl Zero always gets his man. Daryl Zero really doesn't like to leave his apartment.

Surrounding himself with a mess of computer equipment, books, garbage and other tools of the detective trade, writing atrociously awful songs that the world will never hear, and living on a diet which consists primarily of Tab, amphetamines and tuna from the can, Zero seems sufficiently happy to avoid all contact with the outside world.

Of course, he can't get his cases without ever talking to anyone, and that's where Steve Arlo comes in. Arlo serves as Zero's middleman, setting up the arrangements with Zero's clients, while refusing to divulge anything about his employer and demanding astronomical fees. He's a former lawyer, a smooth-talking businessman, and on the whole, a rather distraught person. Which makes sense, considering the bizarre world he's been drawn into.

"Zero Effect" focuses on what could be the most difficult challenge these men have ever faced - a case which starts out as The Case Of The Missing Keys, but becomes something much more. For along the way, the mystery deepens, the plot twists, and the story becomes one of relationships more than anything else: the relationship between Zero and Arlo, between Arlo and his girlfriend, and between Zero and Gloria Sullivan, the oddly seductive woman who has broken through Daryl's shell and made him truly question his life for the first time.

"I always say the essence of my work relies fundamentally on two basic principles," says Zero at one point. "Objectivity and Observation, or 'The Two Obs' as I call them."

When Zero finds himself breaking his own rules, getting involved on a personal level in his case and losing all hope of objectivity, things start to get out of hand.

Bill Pullman is brilliant in the role of Daryl Zero, turning in what may be the performance of his career (so far) with his portrayal of the eccentric man who can only relate to other people when he's in disguise. He brings a life to the character that is touching, quirky and refreshingly funny, all at once.

Ben Stiller, as Arlo, shows a flair for the dramatic, playing the straight-man for a change and letting co-star Pullman steal the laughs. The actors play off each other adeptly, creating a chemistry on screen that is only topped by that between Pullman and fresh face Kim Dickens as Sullivan.

Of course, Dickens creates a fair amount of chemistry all on her own - with her mix of girlish charm and devil-may-care attitude, she virtually dominates the screen with each appearance, coming off as incredibly sexy and alluring even at her most demure; it's no wonder Zero has so much trouble dealing with her character.

Finally, in taking on the crime/mystery genre from such a fresh perspective, Jake Kasdan has instantly secured a place for himself amongst the ranks of those writer/directors whose films are such a pleasure to watch - that rare breed of filmmakers to whom the intelligence of a script is of primary importance, and who, in making the films that they themselves conceived and put so much of themselves into, create an experience that they can be truly proud to share with the rest of us.

In other words, this one really is worth leaving the house for.