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Suspect Zero

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for Suspect Zero R 2004 1h 39m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
17% Tomatometer 126 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
FBI agent Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) is transferred to Albuquerque, N.M., after he mishandles the arrest of a serial killer (Keith Campbell). There he is called to investigate the gruesome murder of a salesman (Kevin Chamberlin), who turns out to be a serial killer himself. After two more killings, Thomas and his partner (Carrie-Anne Moss) conclude that Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley), a former FBI agent with psychic abilities, is responsible for the deaths.
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Suspect Zero

Suspect Zero

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Critics Consensus

Other than Ben Kingsley, there's not much to like in this preposterous thriller.

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Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman Village Voice Aug 31, 2004
Slips on the banana peel of exaggerated fear factor, falling facedown with the introduction of an ber-creep serial killer (Ben Kingsley) grimly stalking some hapless prey. Go to Full Review
Richard Roeper Ebert & Roeper Aug 30, 2004
[A] visually jarring, psychologically daring trip that explores terror in a fresh, if crazy, manner. Go to Full Review
Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle Aug 29, 2004
1/5
Instead of building suspense and tension, Suspect Zero devotes its efforts to creating a weird and creepy milieu that will leave fans of police procedurals wanting and avant-garde enthusiasts scratching their heads. Go to Full Review
Jim Lane Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008
3/5
Russ Breimeier Christianity Today Oct 11, 2006
.5/4
Essentially an X-files episode that wishes it were as disturbing and visually arresting as David Fincher's Seven (it's not). Go to Full Review
Film Threat Dec 6, 2005
1.5/5
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Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad 1 day ago Suspect Zero = a *2* star Movie! See more Marco L @decatur555 Aug 20, 2026 Suspect Zero is far more interesting than its limited reputation suggests. E. Elias Merhige develops the investigation gradually, mixing a recognizable FBI thriller with increasingly unusual elements that give the film an identity beyond its obvious Seven and The Silence of the Lambs influences. Aaron Eckhart provides a solid center, but Ben Kingsley is the real attraction, bringing unsettling calm and ambiguity to every scene he enters. The film occasionally pushes its fragmented imagery too hard and some ideas work better than others, yet the mystery remains engaging throughout. Its combination of serial-killer investigation and paranormal territory will not work for everyone, but it worked for me. For a 2004 thriller I had barely heard about, this was a very pleasant surprise and one that deserved a much stronger afterlife. See more J H @UpstateNYThriller Jul 22, 2026 6/5/10 Drama / Suspense movie Guy with supernatural powers goes looking for serial killers to kill. He was originally special agent in FBI. The guy from thank you for smoking is in it. Creepy Drama Suspense See more Joaquin U @Joaquin1 May 24, 2026 Mildly entertaining, but it turns dull halfway through. Starts interesting, then loses pace, slows to a crawl, and you stop caring. Veteran actor Ben Kingsley does what he can, but there’s not much to work with. The rest of the cast is fine. The script is the real stinker, and the director never finds a rhythm. Watchable, sure—but you can do much better. See more David W @Sternhammer Apr 11, 2026 What a great film that was. My wife and I loved this. It's an absolute travesty that this seems so poorly regarded. An absolutely fantastic script, great direction and the performances by Eckhart and Kingsley were superb. Unique and criminally underrated. See more gungi T @WhatWhere Apr 4, 2026 I do not think the movie deserves such a bad rating. It is nowhere close to the best movies that try to work around similar topics, but it is a short, good watch with decent suspense and atmosphere. The direction of the movie suffers occasionally because of the super awkward filters and effects used to depict the overarching remote surveillance ability of its characters. But it is so over the top that the intention backfires, disturbing the entire mood that the scenes try to establish. Also, the entire plot involves the paranormal skill to scan and surveil entire movements across grids of spaces, which may require some suspension of disbelief. But it can also be seen as a possible commentary on the development of the early 2000s surge in panoptic accumulation of data, observation, and intelligence. See more Read all reviews
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Suspect Zero

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Movie Info

Synopsis FBI agent Thomas Mackelway (Aaron Eckhart) is transferred to Albuquerque, N.M., after he mishandles the arrest of a serial killer (Keith Campbell). There he is called to investigate the gruesome murder of a salesman (Kevin Chamberlin), who turns out to be a serial killer himself. After two more killings, Thomas and his partner (Carrie-Anne Moss) conclude that Benjamin O'Ryan (Ben Kingsley), a former FBI agent with psychic abilities, is responsible for the deaths.
Director
E. Elias Merhige
Producer
Paula Wagner
Screenwriter
Zak Penn, Billy Ray
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Lakeshore Entertainment, InterMedia Film Equities Ltd.
Rating
R (Some Nudity|Language|Violent Content)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 27, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.7M
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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