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Written by XXX; directed by E. Elias Merhige; starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley. Released to DVD on April 20, 2005. Sound editing is one of the least talked of aspects of the filmmaking process. There are no less than seven reasons for this that I can think of, but they all stem from the same core idea: it seems incredibly easy to the layman to just record what’s taking place on-set while filming. The process of adding the sound effects and the score (for the moment, not even considering the ADR and Foley work that is always necessary) just doesn’t compute, in most cases. Yet strangely, a film’s sound is almost as important in setting its atmosphere as its lighting and production design. Vangelis’ synthesized score set the mood early on in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, with some additional help by the look and sounds of the incessant rain fall, and Steven Spielberg made excellent use of a low rumbling bass throughout Jurassic Park to set that film’s ominous tone. Director E. Elias Merhige’s latest film, Suspect Zero, is an off-putting, nerve jangling cinematic experience that owes a large portion of its unusual energy to Merhige’s clever, crafty and unique use of sound. Aaron Eckhart stars in Suspect Zero as FBI agent Tom Mackelway. Disgraced and demoted after his bungling of a very high-profile case–Mackelway beat a suspect and then illegally transported him over state lines–Mackelway is now serving out his punishment in the FBI’s Albuquerque, New Mexico office. During his first week on the job in the Land of Enchantment, Mackelway begins investigating a series of interconnected murders. The case takes a turn for the surreal when Mackelway realizes that the killer is, like so many cinema serial killers previously, specifically taunting him. Masterful and original sound editing aside, Suspect Zero is an unusual film to watch because it possesses an extremely formulaic and tired plot–a serial killer targeting and attempting to outwit a talented law enforcement agent who doesn’t play by the rules? Stop me if you’ve heard that before… today–but an unusual, near underground set of directing esthetics. Merhige is an obviously talented filmmaker who doesn’t ever feel the need to do anything conventional with his camera; as such, he makes good use of mono-chromatic images, rarely frequented locations, a swerving camera movement between scenes and hyper close-ups (close-ups so close that the killer’s nose is out of focus while the camera zooms in on one of his eyes). However, the appeal of these stylistic elements is somewhat muted because the plot of this film is so very simple. A large portion of my disappointment in Suspect Zero came with the fact that there is only one suspect in the film, a character who is ably played by Ben Kingsley. This isn’t so much a whodunit, it’s a did-he-do-it? And when situations like these are created there had better be another set of focal points included in the movie, otherwise the audience will become, piercing sound mixing aside, quickly bored. Unfortunately for viewers, Suspect Zero does not lay claim to any other sub-plots and I found myself swiftly losing interest in the proceedings as Mackelway goes through the most familiar detective maneuvers. If you’ve ever wondering what a daring, competent and stylish director would do with one of Hollywood’s most offensively recycled ideas, Suspect Zero is the answer.
chris neumer |
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