“Zero Day” on Netflix will impress you a lot, by virtue of an incredible power connected to the plot, to its characters, to how the goal is brought (centered in full) to talk about us, our society, the terrifying situation of the Our democracy, whose state of health has never been so bad since the end of the Second World War. Robert De Niro returns to roar like in the good old days, surrounded by a cast of great thickness, gives us a great interpretation in a miniseries with a clear but never clumsy civil identity.

“Zero Day” – The plot

“Zero Day” was created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim and Michael Schmidt, and takes us on a quiet day like the others in the United States, at least so it would seem. Then, suddenly, the case, when a virus completely sends the country completely, blocking not only any electronic device, but sowing chaos in transport, hospitals, in city traffic, airports, power plants and every possible infrastructure. 3000 people die, the country is on their knees and President Mitchell (Angela Bassett), in front of a cyberattacco of this reach and the indefiniteness of the mandates, can only contact George Mullen (Robert De Niro). He was also president, before resigning 12 years earlier because of the death of the son’s overdose, who had completely cleared him psychologically, deciding to get back from political life. A decision that had made him indicate by many as a weak and character -free man. Mullen is placed at the head of a task force for investigations, with the task of finding the culprits, but apart from his wife Sheila (Joan Allen), few have confidence in him. Together with his deputy, Roger Carson (Jesse Plemons), Mullen will try to shed light on who and what has unleashed that attack, finding himself entangled in a conspiracy with many faces and purposes, of which, however, it is really difficult to guess structure, principal and above all What will be the next move and where the truth is.

Since the first of his 6 episodes, this miniseries directed by Lesli Lindka Glatter claims its very strong connection with the reality of this 21st century, where traditional parties have completely lost their grip, in favor of other protagonists: influencers, the hi- guru Tech, populism of all shapes and color, capable of clawing the masses with ferocity and capitalizing every emotional state for its end. Mullen, thanks to Robert De Niro, stands as a sort of survivor of what politics was in the twentieth century, with his clear and defined vision of things, Manichea if you want, but not for this devoid of effectiveness, of one Consistency inherent in a morality that based on the community. But we are in 2025, individualism reigns, together with the disappearance (or supposed such) of the concept of truth and above all of responsibility. Mullen must move quickly, because the president, supported by the speaker of the Chamber Richard Dreyer (Matthew Modine), by the director of the Cia Lasca (Bill Camp) and pressed by the public opinion, wants culprits against which to throw his retaliation. At the moment, many tests offer Russia’s responsibility. But as it will go on, the old and rocky ex -president will realize that the picture is more complicated than it seems and the enemy has many faces. Meanwhile, he must also look at the media offensive brought to him by the right influencer Evan Green (Dan Stevens) with his xenophobic accusations.

A perfect and surgical fresco of the crazy era in which we live

“Zero Day” has a magnificent direction, but above all an atmosphere in which the essence of the thriller Clasicco d’Autore shines, the one who gave us pearls like “Michael Clayton” by Tony Gilroy or “Man in the shadows” by Roman Polanski. However, the most experts will notice tributes to “Manchurian candidate” and “Seven days in May” by John Frankenheimer. The series opens multiple paths, without however never forgetting the main one, a culprit hunt that of episode in the episode becomes the vivisection of a throbbing body: that of our world. Our democracy has been emptied of a toxic turbocapitalism, by the cult of the return personality after a hundred years. Who is the fault? The response of “Zero Day” is complex, multiple but never banal, starts from the disconnection between institutions and people, but does not spare criticism above all to the latter, ready to shout, to give the worst of himself when yet another populist prophet arrives shrewd, capable of being a branch but never community. However, as you go on and the dark sides emerge, the complicities, Mullen becomes the engine of a return to seriousness, to the destruction of the alibi of malapolitics, of the ruling class that closed in a fort, a castle And contemptuous looks from above. “Zero Day” also in this is always perfect, illuminating, while the path disseminates the path, guides us towards a conclusion that is coherent, perhaps not even so surprising, but of course, like many other times, it is how and not the thing that matters.

There are no saints and heroes here, but above all the reinforced conflict has become that of technology, of the IAs, cyber security, the same title of the miniseries refers to a theoretical unpublished and unknown crisis, theorized several times. The nuclear newspapers are no longer the end, how the cinema has theorized and shown an infinite number of time, but our now total dependence of our tech supports, their interconnection that makes them at a time so important and together so dangerous . Looking at how the last elections (not only American) did not deny that “Zero Day” is a miniseries with a great civil vocation, which wants to remind us that we are the state, we are the state. We have delegated everything to our mood, we follow the first self -proclaimed prophet like a magical piper. Robert De Niro dusts off the ancient charisma with a character who fits him by brush, who has also sought and wanted for his well -known and clear political ideas. The most disturbing thing is the final feeling of looking in the mirror, of a democracy destroyed by capital, by the inability to stop that 1% that holds our lives in hand. For this reason, especially for this, beyond the rhythm, of the magnetic and distressing atmosphere, of a cast that moves perfectly, “Zero Day” is the great geopolitical story of our time, one of those series that leave the A sign in truth they are carriers of, especially when it is uncomfortable yet evident.

VOTE: 8.5