By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
MARINE VACTH ANCHORS THE GRITTY REVENGE THRILLER "AGENT ZERO"
In the French/English action thriller
"Agent Zero" from director
Guillaume de Fontenay ("Sympathy for the Devil"),
Marine Vacth ("Stronger Than the Devil") channels her inner action hero and stars as an elite intelligence operative named Badh Siracine who has been enjoying a relatively idyllic, quiet life in Morocco.
However, that tranquility is short-lived when her future husband, a local police officer, is brutally gunned down and left in a coma. Forced to confront the violent world she thought she left behind, Badh must become the ruthless agent she once was and wastes little time getting back into her lethal groove.
Director de Fontenay keeps the film moving at a brisk pace, and the short 84-minute runtime works in its favor. The story doesn't overstay its welcome. It gets in, delivers the action, and gets out before the formula grows stale.
Vacth proves more than capable of carrying the film, portraying Badh as a determined, battle-hardened operative who will stop at nothing to settle the score.
It's also refreshing to see a woman anchoring a role that has traditionally been dominated by male action stars. Vacth brings both grit and poise to the character, making her believable in the film's physical fight scenes and high-speed pursuits. Clearly, the director has taken notes from the kinetic action style seen in Jason Statham and Tom Cruise movies, along with the espionage thrills of the "The Bourne Identity" franchise.
The influence is most noticeable during the film's sleek motorcycle and car chase sequences, which provide some of the movie's most entertaining moments.
While "Agent Zero" hardly reinvents the action genre, it succeeds by embracing its strengths, fast pacing, stylish action, and a compelling lead performance. By the time the final confrontation arrives, "Agent Zero" has delivered a solid, no-frills actioner with a formidable new heroine at its center.
"Agent Zero" is available March 13 on
Digital and On Demand.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"AGENT ZERO"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
