Zeros and Ones

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1:43

Zeros and Ones

R

Released Nov 19, 2021

1h 26m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

54 Reviews

8%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant) join forces for this gritty, tense political-thriller set on one deadly night in Rome. Called to the city to stop an imminent terrorist bombing, soldier J.J. (Hawke) desperately seeks news of his imprisoned rebel brother, Justin (also Hawke), who holds knowledge that could thwart the attack. Navigating the capital's darkened streets, J.J. races to a series of ominous encounters, hoping to keep the Vatican from being blown to bits.

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Critics Consensus

Zeros and Ones is poorly lit and beset by narrative chaos, but Ethan Hawke's passionate performance is a solid fit for Abel Ferrara's intriguingly idiosyncratic storytelling.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

a prickly, difficult, even impenetrable mash-up of archetypes and ideas, all wrapped up in the nonsensical intrigues of genre cinema while reaching outward towards something bigger beyond.

Apr 4, 2022

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It’s minor work – but there is always something there, some restless wounded intelligence, a pugnacious worrying-away at something.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 2, 2022

Full Review

Max Maller

Chicago Reader

The paradoxical need for a would-be redeemer of humanity to know sin at first hand animates the film all the way down, from Hawke's passionate performance on through to the kinetics of Ferrara and Williams's seedy roving camera.

Nov 24, 2021

Full Review

D.M. Palmer

Vague Visages

An atmospheric but disjointed no-budget thriller. The war thriller is pretty underwhelming fare, but its mere existence attests to the tenacity of its creator.

Nov 9, 2023

Full Review

Pablo O. Scholz

Clarín

Though ideas abound in the film, they lack a connective tissue... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/4

Apr 24, 2023

Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

Zeros and Ones is difficult to decipher; the film's narrative logic seems to emerge from the music that remains constant from beginning to end. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Apr 5, 2023

Full Review

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Frans B

Very dark, literally. I have no idea what Abel Ferrara hoped to accomplish here, well, fortunately the lead actor feels the same it seems😜 This is one very confusing movie

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

Full Review

Charlie R

It's just boring and really hard to get into. The type of movie you need to rewatch to make sense of but it's not even worthy of a single watch so the idea of having to subject yourself to another viewing is as unlikely as it is unbearable. Do yourself a favour and give this one a very hard pass.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

Steve C

Hawke admits he didn't understand the film in the post credit interview....ok, glad I am not the only one.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

Full Review

Steve S

Fucking awful and impossible to follow along. Ridiculous that this movie was even made.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

Full Review

Kevin H

An attempt at film noir, okay. Visually there's a lot wrong, starting with extreme low light in all but final scenes, he is carrying a SONY high res video camera that can shoot in 4K and we get less than 720 standard res for video? Contrast maxed out, fluorescing colors, bad focus, dirty lens! Audio was muffled with unclear diction. The plot? What plot? I agree Hawke filled his script shoes well, but the promo first scene was off putting and now I know why...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/16/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I began wide awake and optimistic. I dozed mid way, slapped myself awake and back tracked but clarity and light, especially light, never came. I could feel my brain curdling and couldn't make sense of it. I had to find something mindless, bright, with plenty of light. So no I don't recommend it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

Full Review

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J.J.

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Zeros and Ones: Trailer 1

1:43

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Synopsis

Ethan Hawke (Training Day) and director Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant) join forces for this gritty, tense political-thriller set on one deadly night in Rome. Called to the city to stop an imminent terrorist bombing, soldier J.J. (Hawke) desperately seeks news of his imprisoned rebel brother, Justin (also Hawke), who holds knowledge that could thwart the attack. Navigating the capital's darkened streets, J.J. races to a series of ominous encounters, hoping to keep the Vatican from being blown to bits.

Director: Abel Ferrara
Producer: Philipp Kreuzer, Diana Phillips
Screenwriter: Abel Ferrara
Distributor: Lionsgate
Production Co: Rimsky Productions, Almost Never Films Inc., Hammerstone Studios, Maze Pictures, Macaia Film
Rating: R (Drug Content|Bloody Images|Language|Sexual Material|Some Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 19, 2021
Runtime: 1h 26m

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