Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.
Acting
Bill Pullman's career-best performance, completely transformative.
Writing
Jake Kasdan's razor-sharp debut script, criminally overlooked.
Director
Jake Kasdan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bill Pullman based Zero's physicality on a friend's autistic brother, creating Hollywood's most accurate portrayal of neurodivergent genius decades before it was discussed.
The film bombed in 1998 but became a secret handshake among writers; Kasdan later said every showrunner he's worked with brings it up. It basically predicted Monk, Sherlock, and every brilliant-but-broken detective since.
US
