ZeroZeroZero is available now on Sky Atlantic.
Based on the sweeping novel of the same name by Roberto Saviano, ZeroZeroZero is nothing short of epic in its construct. Here its dark, brooding, tension-laden story of family, deception and betrayal shines with nail-biting brilliance while knocking its TV competition out of the park due to the sheer cinematic scale and bravery on display. In ZeroZeroZero, the international drug trade is viewed from three distinct perspectives; the suppliers in Mexico, the buyers in Italy, and the New Orleans dealmakers – each wrapped in family and community dynamics.
Early on, we are asked a simple question, what happens when a deadly global machine built on cocaine hits the rocks? Here ZeroZeroZero offers us a series of separate yet interlinked episodes as we march toward the show’s heart-pounding conclusion.
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Our story opens with the buyers; an Italian family led by the cunning, ageing Don Minu (Adriano Chiaramida), his power and grip slowly failing, alongside his health. Here his ambitious grandson (Giuseppe De Domenico) waits patiently to steal his crown. Meanwhile, in Mexico, the suppliers are represented by church-going Special Forces leader Manuel Contreras (Harold Torres), his law enforcement credentials a mere cloak for his violent intentions. Finally, in New Orleans, we meet the dealmakers; the Lynwood family. Led by the distinguished Edward (Gabriel Byrne) and his daughter Emma (Andrea Riseborough), his younger son Chris (Dane DeHaan) sheltered from the business.
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With the opening episodes directed by Stefano Sollima (Sicario 2: Soldado, Gomorrah), ZeroZeroZero sets out its uncompromising stall with gritty and sharp realism alongside cinematic scope. However, unlike similar outings, the story’s sweeping complexity and global perspective define ZeroZeroZero. Here the illegal drug industry is revealed for what it is; a multi-billion dollar industry built on pain, death and addiction. ZeroZeroZero is rooted in the coercion, violence and entrapment of this industry built on blood, its story never allowing for simple conclusions.
