Siracine was one of the best at black ops until a mission in Raqqa suddenly turned ugly. Retiring from the agency, Siracine lives happily with Ilias a police officer, whom Khoury’s thuggish Uday and Qusay-like sons try to assassinate in a drive-by shooting. He had been investigating the arms dealing crime lord, because that is his job. At least Badh certainly sees it that way, so she gets some payback, thereby igniting a war.
Obviously, it is super awkward for DGSE spy-master Joanne Walter when her former agent declares war on her supposed asset. Of course, Walter choses Khoury over her compatriot. That doesn’t sit well Badh’s mentor, Sam, who follows Walter to Morocco, hoping to run interference for Siracine.
Alexandre Coquelle & Matthieu Le Naour’s French language screenplay shows the same contempt and hatred for DGSE that Hollywood usually directs at the CIA. It is a cynical indictment of dark, murky deep state machinations, but with a francophone accent. Arguably, it is something of a novelty to see this self-hating shoe on the French foot. However, it is clear Saban picked up American rights for the action sequences, which are definitely respectable, in a gritty, Paul Greenglass kind of way.
Agent Zero is lean and mean, but it is several degrees smarter than the average VOD bullet spray. The real-life Moroccan locations, Essaouira, Marrakesh, and Casablanca, add a lot of intriguing visuals and textures, while the production values are top-shelf. Recommended for viewers who distrust all governments, but still want to see terrorists getting shot, Agent Zero releases Friday (3/13) on VOD/digital.
