Zero Effect

Daryl Zero, Bill Pullman, is the world’s greatest detective, yet a socially maladroit misanthrope who never meets clients in person. Instead, he conducts every case through his assistant Steve Arlo, Ben Stiller. Zero also narrates much of the story, reading from lines he imagines for his proposed autobiography, turning the hunt into a blend of brisk deduction and dry self-reflection that frames the mystery from an intimate, idiosyncratic perspective.

Zero and Arlo are hired by Portland-area millionaire Gregory Stark, Ryan O’Neal, who has misplaced the key to a safe deposit box and is being squeezed by a blackmailer who demands escalating cash payments. The case quickly tightens as Zero follows a trail of red herrings, subtle clues, and calculated misdirections, inching toward a confrontation that will test his legendary objectivity.

Zero identifies the blackmailer as Gloria Sullivan, Kim Dickens, an EMT with a hidden past and a willingness to push dangerous boundaries. As Zero becomes unexpectedly drawn to Gloria, their late-night encounters force him to break his own rules and reveal vulnerabilities he rarely allows anyone to see. He even confides a painful memory: his mother was killed by his abusive father, who later killed himself.

Stark puts Arlo under pressure to uncover the blackmailer’s identity so Stark can deal with the threat, even if it means someone is killed. At the same time, Arlo’s life is pulled into turmoil by Zero’s absurd demands on his time, which increasingly interfere with Arlo’s relationship with his girlfriend, Angela Featherstone (Jess).

Delving deeper, Zero uncovers a darker backstory: Stark had raped Gloria’s mother after they broke up, and when she threatened to expose him, he ordered her murder. Yet the infant Gloria survived, born from that terrible past, and was raised by the hitman who carried out the crime. Gloria grows up aware of Stark’s guilt and uses that knowledge to secure his downfall by blackmail—enough money to pay for medical care for the terminally ill adoptive father who raised her.

At the climactic meeting to deliver the final blackmail payment, Stark suffers a heart attack. In a twist that challenges both mercy and justice, Gloria saves Stark’s life, and with Zero’s hesitant assistance, they flee the country together, stepping into an uncertain future that promises both risk and a fragile, hard-won freedom.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:06