Robert De Niro has been in enough all-time great American classics that he could’ve coasted on his legacy for the 21st century, and still considered a legend. While he’s taken “paycheck roles” in lazy studio comedies like Dirty Grandpa and Grudge Match, the performances he gave in The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon were very good. However, there’s no role that De Niro has committed to more than Hollywood’s most outspoken critic of Donald Trump. Between a profanity-ridden tirade at the Tony Awards to a strange tangent during a televised interview with Francis Ford Coppola, De Niro has made his feelings about the current occupant of the Oval Office clear.
De Niro’s solution was to serve as a producer and star of a buzzy Netflix series, which has dominated the streamer’s charts since its debut. Helmed in its entirety by former Homeland director Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day has De Niro in the role of the former President of the United States George Mullen.
Mullen’s presidency is described as being relatively scandal-free, with the caveat that he resigned following the death of his son, and has since regretted not doing more for his country. Although the former commander-in-chief has been absent from politics amidst his wife Sheila’s (Joan Allen) consideration for a seat on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, he’s drawn back into public service when a devastating cyberattack obliquely referred to as “Zero Day” leaves thousands dead. After the current President Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett) has tasked him with the investigation into the culprit behind the terrorism, Mullen looks beyond the initial crop of theories posited by both an active audience of citizens and investigations led by the dubious CIA director Jeremy Lasch (Bill Camp). All signs point to Russia, but Mullen isn’t interested in the declaration of an opponent, as it could lead to war.
The concept of a former world leader given unlimited executive power to serve as judge, jury, and executioner is a premise worthy of a show as long as Homeland (which wrapped up with its eighth season in 2020). What’s unfortunate isn’t just that Zero Day is confined to only six episodes, but that the initial hook of Mullen’s resurgence is only one component within a tapestry of subplots. Mullen’s personal aide Roger Carlson (Jesse Plemons) is a talented espionage agent, but may have some concerning ties to the Wall Street billionaire Robert Lyndon (Clark Gregg). Mullen’s daughter, Alexandra (Lizzy Caplan), is a prominent New York congresswoman who’s openly denounced her father’s actions, which is further complicated when she’s placed on the Zero Day Commission Oversight Committee by the Speaker of the House, Richard Dreyer (Matthew Modine). That’s all without a mention of the radical political commentator Evan Green (Dan Stevens), a far-right conspiracy theorist modeled after Ben Shapiro.
The subversion of some laws are necessary to avoid public chaos, and Zero Day does offer some insight about the presidency. If Zero Day’s only intention was to offer a window into the pressures that a president faces amidst a crisis, it’s successful. Unfortunately, the series’ conspiracy storyline is left underdeveloped, and has a conclusion just as hokey as the revelation of Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World.
Zero Day’s biggest creative struggle is its confusion about the characterization of Mullen. At times, it’s implied that Mullen’s new position has turned him into a Colonel Kurtz-esque tycoon intent on using the Zero Day authority to squash his enemies; as entertaining as it is to see Mullen bully Green into a declaration of spinelessness, it’s suggested that the use of a covert task force to take down a conspiracy theorist isn’t a great use of resources. However, Mullen is eventually turned into a selfless hero who has taken his emergency powers as an opportunity to unveil the Deep State. It puts the series’ tonal balance into disarray, especially when Zero Day’s final moments are spent on an abrupt resolution between Mullen and his daughter.
Although Mullen’s politics could be loosely compared to those of John Kerry, what’s evident is that De Niro had an interest in a character whose demeanor and conduct are distinct from Trump’s. The most memorable scene of the series is an early moment in which Mullen, amidst a rowdy crowd of civilians within the ruins of New York, is given the opportunity to warn about the danger of discourse, and make a call for unity. Even when he’s blindsided by the political opponents that surround him, Mullen’s depicted as a thorn in the side of everything that Trump has represented; big business, foreign dictators, incel hate groups, and cowardly moderates are held accountable when Mullen has called the shots.
Zero Day is rarely dull. It’s filled with great performances, as actors as talented as Plemons, Caplan, Allen, Camp, Modine, and Gregg can do the most with underwritten roles; even Gaby Hoffman and Connie Britton pop up for what are essentially oversized cameos. Yet, Zero Day is a liberal fantasy in the same way that the Taylor Sheridan universe is wish fulfillment for the right. It’s often fun, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for substance.