Movie Review- Jackie K Cooper
The Reconstruction of William Zero (FilmBuff)
There has been a recent spate of mindless sci-f/horror movies that have been barely worth your time, much less the price of admission. To save the day comes The Reconstruction of William Zero, a well made movie of this type that actually makes you think. It does this from the opening frame until the very final one, and that certainly makes it unique.
The film opens with William Blake (Conal Byrne) finding himself in his twin brother's home. He learns he is recovering from an auto accident. The accident has taken most of his memory and he is slowly having to relearn his life. As time passes he begins to suspect his brother is not the person he professes to be, and his life is not as it has been described.
To tell more about the plot would be unfair since the joy of the film is in the unraveling of what the audience is first led to believe. Things that appear simple are complex, and those that seem complex are actually simple. It is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde world and finding out who is who is an amazing and terrifying journey.
Conal Byrne plays several roles in the movie and he is good at them all. He is able to project good and evil with equal believability. The method of allowing one actor to play two characters is done seamlessly so we have several scenes where Byrne shares the spotlight with himself. This leaves little room for the other actors in the cast, still they all play their roles adequately and add to the overall enjoyment of the story.
Dan Bush co-wrote the script with Byrne as well as co-produced, co-edited and directed the movie. The haunting effect of this film bodes well for any future endeavors he might undertake. If they are on the same level or better than this one he is definitely a moviemaker to watch.
The film is unrated but would probably fall into the PG-13 category.
You will have to search out The Reconstruction of William Zero as it is playing only in select cities and VOD. No matter how much you have to hunt for it, rest assured it is worth the effort. It is the most inventive movie for the thinking person I have seen in ages (and that includes you Interstellar).
I scored "The Reconstruction of William Zero" a solidly built 6 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com