LONDON: Despite his lauded career, Robert De Niro, arguably our greatest living actor, has, for the most part, steered clear of TV roles. So the news that he was to not only appear in, but also executive produce, new Netflix thriller “Zero Day” was noteworthy. And what’s even better? This taut, tense, six-part political thriller is every bit as captivating as you’d hope — a relief, given that De Niro’s more recent output has featured more than a few… let’s call them duds.
De Niro is perfectly cast as George Mullen, a universally respected former US President who confounded the political world by not seeking a second term, choosing instead to focus on his family after a personal tragedy. When the US is targeted by a nationwide cyberattack, which freezes all electronic devices and kills thousands of people, sitting President Mitchell (Angela Bassett) asks him to head up a new division tasked with finding and punishing the people behind the attack.
On paper, Mullen is the obvious choice — he’s a former prosecutor and hails from a time when politicians could still command bipartisan respect. But he’s also a man out of step — caught out by the speed of the modern media landscape, still struggling with his own grief, and suffering from a range of hallucinations.
That De Niro manages to convince with all of the above within the first episode is testament not only to the strength of his performance, but also to the skill of creators Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and journalist Michael Schmidt. Though costars Jesse Plemons, Lizzy Caplan, Matthew Modine and others are all superb, none comes close to De Niro. George is simultaneously frighteningly fierce and alarmingly frail, possessed with a sense of naïve optimism that makes him either a fool or the smartest person in the room.
“Zero Day” is not perfect – there’s a lull around episode three, and some budget-chewing grandstanding before the finale. But the last two episodes are as tense and thrilling as any show from the last couple of years.
