A Mysterious Serial Killer Hunts Other Serial Killers in Suspect Zero

Aug. 27, 2004 — -- Now in theaters: Suspect Zero, Hero, SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 and Open Water.

Suspect Zero

Suspect Zero is about a serial killer who kills other serial killers. It's a great idea, a great commercial, and if the movie lasted 30 seconds, it might actually be great too.

Aaron Eckhart and Carrie-Anne Moss play a new breed of FBI agent. The bureau has been in so much hot water of late, they must have changed their requirements to get in. Now you have to be boring.

Ben Kingsley, who may or may not be the killer, plays a former agent from back in the day when they hired good actors. He's been trained to see crimes before they happen. If so, why did he say yes to this film? On a scale of 1 to 10, this Suspect is a zero. Grade: D.

Hero

A great movie takes you to a place you've never been before. Hero (or Ying xiong — it's in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles) is a great movie. Already an international blockbuster, it's grossed an amazing $140 million in Asia alone.

This is the retelling of an ancient Chinese legend, with Jet Li as a man called "Nameless" who comes to the king with the weapons of three assassins and tales of how he's slain enemies of the throne.

The battle scenes aren't meant to be taken literally. Arrows hit targets miles away; Li and his amazing adversaries float and fly. We use the same metaphors today when we talk about sports: He hit it a country mile; he flew into the end zone.

There is virtually no blood shed in Hero. The fantasy becomes magic. It's the way legends stay alive. We see a king who will unify China, become its first emperor, and build a Great Wall. Grade: A.