Zero Day Series Review: An excellent Robert De Niro let down by a meandering script

Netflix’s conspiracy thriller Zero Day presents a fascinating alternate reality where the sudden failure of a country's critical communication and transportation networks puts it in jeopardy, leaving many casualties in its wake. The ensuing chaos ignites a firestorm of accusations, with government officials and news outlets alike pointing fingers at Russia. However, with her term at the White House still new, US President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett) cannot take any chances and has to commission a supremely powerful task force to find the truth behind the attack. Whether the head of the force, former president George Mullen (Robert De Niro), with unprecedented veto power will succeed in the mission and bring justice for his grieving countrymen forms the plot of Zero Day. The series undeniably has an intriguing plot, but it tries to pack too many elements over its six episodes. The investigation into the attack, entangled in plenty of political manoeuvring, lacks focus. There is an infidelity subplot about Mullen, and his alleged illicit relationship with an associate looks jarring and out of place. There is the drama between Mullen and his estranged daughter Alexandra Mullen (Lizzy Caplan), which becomes soap-like when it focuses on their personal equation. There is a plot element about a corrupt government official with a strong connection to a tech oligarch. And another element about a potential bio-nuclear attack against Mullen. For a limited series, it has a lot to take in, which eventually contributes to a convoluted screenplay that offers little in the way of thrills or suspense.

Creators: Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, Michael S Schmidt

Cast: Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Angela Basset, Matthew Modine

Streamer: Netflix

The sheer volume of subplots suggests an attempt to explore the corrupting influence of unchecked power. Everyone from a former White House Chief of Staff who becomes a close ally to Mullen to a House Speaker (Matthew Modine) has too much power vested in them that they can exploit. Even Mullen gets the power to simply have his team take people off the streets without any warrant and violate their personal privacy in unimaginable ways. Oddly, the series portrays Mullen as a hero who rises to the need of the hour and prevents repeat cyber attacks. However, the series fails to address the ambiguity of Mullen's character, leaving his motivations unclear and the ethical implications unexplored. The lack of clarity regarding Mullen's morality weakens the series' impact and raises questions about its intended message.

Despite its flaws, however, what keeps you engaged for a good part is the stellar ensemble cast. The actors bring plenty of heft to their underwritten parts, making each of them as real and relatable as possible in this pulpy series. In his streaming debut, De Niro shows flashes of his vintage form. A scene where his character breaks down seems to come out of nowhere, but De Niro brings a sense of weight to even such an act of transient make-belief. A bit like his president character, the actor holds his own, even as the screenplay fails him time and again. Basset and Jesse Plemons play perfect foil for De Niro in their underwritten parts, whereas a seasoned campaigner such as Matthew Modine is perfectly cast as Mullen’s formidable rival hellbent on keeping the status quo intact.

Zero Day has a lot to say about how politics work in a divisive modern world, such as one in the wake of a massive cyber attack. Despite the plot being slightly implausible in places, the authentic worldbuilding redeems the series to an extent. You might as well replace cyber warfare with an actual war, and it would make little difference. The series shows how cyber warfare can destabilise a government and society, further eroding people’s trust in institutions and leaders. However, overall, the series is not as smart or convincing as it might appear, with its inconsistent writing often causing its own downfall.