A tense and relevant conspiracy thriller, whatever narrative silliness Event Zero delves into is countered by taut and sharp filmmaking of the “edge of your seat” variety.

Conspiracy theories are by and large incredibly wacky in nature, and conspiracy thriller movies follow suit. JFK, The Manchurian Candidate… they all delve into impossible realms of logic and reason. Yet they also tap into a very real and very relevant core which grounds their flight of fancy, and urges viewers to investigate the probabilities of their narrative. Event Zero, the directorial debut from prolific Australian producer and screenwriter Enzo Tedeschi (The Tunnel), does just that.

Its set-up is as chilling as they come: a biological attack in the heart of Sydney’s CBD (Central Business District). The affects are ghastly, as commuters fall victim to the fatal and gruesome effects of the attack, Tedeshi’s background in horror filmmaking brought to the fore with imagery realistic and confronting.

Immediately several narrative threads are established. There is the rebel cop Leyla (Ash Ricardo), who defies orders in pursuit for the truth after her father and Muslim community elder Yusuf (Harry Pavlidis) is implicated for the attack. There is the NSW Premiere Pamela Laird (Zoe Cardies), who is coerced by a shadow organisation into establishing questionably ethical legislation made under the reasoning of “national security”. Then there is the grieving Jack (Andy Rodereda), who after losing his wife in the attack is thrust into the spotlight by a nationalist group keen on bringing their own sense of “justice” to the streets.

Solid performances are delivered by all, especially Ricardo who delivers the goods as the leather jacket clad, motorbike riding rebel cop with ass kicking attitude to spare.

Tedeschi, along with editors Ken Hau and Joseph Morris, navigates viewers through these tense narrative threads with a fast yet steady pace. Where a lot of Australian filmmakers keenly embrace the slow-burn of European cinema, Event Zero takes the path of “Hollywood” action filmmaking and in doing so matches, if not betters, what the Yanks routinely present on the screen. The term “edge of your seat” is used to the point of parody, yet it’s an accurate description for the thrills and deft plotting used here.

There are problems, to be sure. Much like 2013’s These Final Hours, there is a troubling cynicism found in the portrayal of Australia’s public and its institutions react to a world-shaking catastrophe. Then there is the films conclusion, that feels more in tune with the ravings of a YouTube documentary.   

Yet considering the state of the world we live in, where tribe mentality has fostered under the watch of institutions failing to do their part, perhaps Event Zero is not within its right to think the worst of a world gone mad. Either way, it makes for thrilling, probing viewing.