ZeroZeroZero: All about the new superhit series from Prime Videos
Prime Videos is on a roll, after superhit series like Mirzapur, Bandish Bandits and Paatal lok, Prime just released one of the highly acclaimed series “ZeroZeroZero” in India.
ZeroZeroZero is an Italian crime drama series directed by Stefano Sollima. The series, based on the book ZeroZeroZero by Roberto Saviano, is rated 8.2 on IMDB and is expected to create new records in the Indian market as well. Read on to know everything about ZeroZeroZero before you watch it.
The web series is already making waves internationally and the fans might enjoy it as much as “Breaking Bad” or even “Money Heist” on Netflix. So here we go with all that you need to make up your mind to watch the series.
The trailer
The title: Zero Zero Zero
The title ZeroZeroZero is inspired by the Italian grading system for flour. In Italy the fineness of flour is rated as, 2, 1, 0 or 00 denoting how refined it is wherein ‘double zero’ denotes the finest ground flour). The author of the book chose to use ZeroZeroZero, or triple Zero to mean the purest form of cocaine and the makers of the series carried the same title.
The Plot
The series has an interesting play that interconnects the lives of 2 narcos brothers Enrique and Jacinto Leyra who are trying to sell a large shipment of cocaine, with the that of Don Minu La Piana (buyer), his grandson Stefano, Curtiga family (drug brokers), the Lynwoods (a family that owns a shipping company) and Manuel Conteras (corrupt soldier).
The series follows a large cocaine shipment (worth $60 million), from production to delivery, that leaves from Monterrey, Mexico for Gioia Tauro, Italy and the whole story revolves around the troubled journey of this shipment. The story is told as seen from the eyes of sellers.
Infighting within the ‘Ndrangheta, an Italian crime syndicate headed by Don Minu LA Piana, forces Enrique and Jacinto to reroute the shipment to Africa causing a more than manageable delay. In the scheme of things, such delay wasn’t accounted for by any of the interested parties and the plot thickens with unimaginable consequences of the delay for various parties involved.
Episodes
There are a total of 8 episodes of this engaging crime drama that will suck you into binge-watching by the time you finished the first episode. The first couple of episodes are a true reflection of how Roberto Saviano’s book starts with a bigger picture and multiple plots developing independently. The buildup is slow but it grows upon you as Sollima and his team connect the crime to the parallel economy, spread across the globe, that works in tandem with the legit economy.
The thread binding these legitimate and illegitimate businesses is so fine that it remains invisible to a commoner’s eyes, for example when a ship nearly sinks off the coast of Senegal, the series goes on to show that countries are affected by the cocaine trade more than just the sellers and the buyers.
From the third episode onwards the story gets into a high-octane mode with lots of action and all independent plots get interconnected to bring forth an intense screenplay that keeps you glued to your chair (or couch more suitably)
ZeroZeroZero world-wide reception
The series has been widely appreciated by critics and audiences alike. It enjoys an 8.2 rating on IMDB and an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And it isn’t just the common audience that’s loving the series, even Stephen King tweeted about it and praised the series.
Locations: Surprising selection!
The series was shot in Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal and the United States to keep the authentic look and feel of the story and the characters.
The Cast
The book had very strong characters and the makers of ZeroZeroZero have done full justice by choosing actors that fit into those characters to the T. The cast boasts of Andrea Riseborough as Emma Lynwood, Gabriel Byrne as Edward Lynwood, Adriano Chiaramida as Don Damiano “Minu” La Piana, Giuseppe De Domenico as Stefano La Piana, Tchéky Karyo as François Salvage, Harold Torres as Manuel Contreras and Dane DeHaan as Chris Lynwood.
While all the actors have performed very well, Harrold Torres makes the biggest impression as Manuel Contreras, a corrupt special forces officer who turns into a drug lord.
Behind the scenes facts that the series doesn’t tell you!
There is a lot more to ZeroZeroZero web series than what you see on the screen just because it is based on a book by a fiery and honest reporter.
Roberto Saviano dives into every aspect of the massive trade in cocaine, from the fields where it is grown to the smallest retail transactions on the street. Saviano also used plenty of statistics and research to present as realistic a plot for the story as was possible.
Many details of the story came out of the law enforcement
Roberto Saviano has 24/7 police protection and that enabled him to have continuous contact with the law enforcement officers around the world to understand how various agencies deal with the drug trade, money laundering and the complex nexus that exists between the drug mafia, corrupt officials and other legit businesses.
Characters are inspired by real people
Roberto Saviano had said, in an interview, that the characters of ZeroZeroZero are inspired by real people. Although, he was quick to add that none of the characters are real-life people and even if the audience tries to link the characters to real-life people they won’t be able to recognize who inspired a particular character. He was categorical in denying that the Lynwood family was inspired by any real-life character.
The biggest difference between the book and the series
Saviano, in his book, has argued for the legalization of cocaine (and he has his own reasons for his argument), however, the series doesn’t take that position.
While making the series, Sollima was very clear that there is a huge difference between the two media – a book vs a series and that a book has a much bigger canvas to handle complex matters like these. Whereas, he opined, in limited episodes series it’s better to ask smart questions and let the audience have its own point of view on the topic.
To wrap it up, we highly recommend this series, unless action and violence are a complete no-no for you. We hope you liked our analysis and the facts!