Double Zero entertains with deceit, desire, and doppelgängers in a game of Russian Roulette

INTRODUCTION
DOUBLE ZERO is a proof of concept “short film” from Pat Bradley that is shopping for investors in the TV series format. Liv, Diana, and Ray hold away desires and secrets as members of a notorious criminal underworld boss. Soon after Liv and Diana botch a money drop, they’re dragged into Alvara’s Russian Roulette game of death. This dangerous game of roulette draws back the curtains on their hidden secrets, desires, and deceit along with their doppelgängers.

THE REVIEW
Double Zero thrusts its audience into the world of underground crime without hesitation. It is a crimescape ruled by the vicious crime queen, Alvara. This proof of concept thoughtfully explores the feminine strength amidst proudly self-possessed crime doppelgängers. It plays out like an intelligent crime drama with its use of the game of the Russian Roulette. While it is an engaging storytelling experience, it sags somewhat in its execution, and its suspension of disbelief of a simple drop gone wrong. Double Zero is a tragedy with a mix of genres of crime, drama, thriller, some quasi promise of romance, and muted adventure. 

In the crime drama, the victims emante from the same rotten stock as its ultimate villain. This universe with its furious doppelgängers forever swerving each other and being swerved in return likens the crimescape in the mafia. The doppelgängers shroud this crimescape in secrets of deceit, desire, and hidden grudges. Which serves up tension between the characters properly. These secrets propell, for example, a botched double-cross, a money drop gone bad. The question, “Why did a duo of gangsters cross their fearsome boss, Alvara?” becomes paramount that it inspires a dangerous game of Russian Roulette.

In most crime dramas, the process is usually a swift execution, “Michael Corleone style”, or an investigation of a criminal offense by police detectives (a murder case) that leads to a conviction by the courts. The code inside Alvara’s organized crime world is different, for it hurdles a dangerous game. 

Double Zero restructures the psychology of the crime genre, dominating it with the female personality. Here the crime underworld is recreated under Alvara. The story builds on a premise that women are not only capable as violent underworld characters as do men, who often serve as crime bosses or law enforcers, but also equally intelligent and maybe ruthless, mysterious, and even cunning.

Alvara’s function as the most terrifying crime boss is a demanding responsibility in the performance of the film. Something she delivers enough, yet the stakes for her character are much higher, like Ray Luca (Anthony Denison) in the 80s TV Series, “Crime Story”. Ray Luca terrified Chicago but always had Lt. Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) to worry about. In the case of Alvara, there is no Crime Story’s Dennis Farina or Police Major Crime Unit to check her. So, she tends closely towards a Vito Corleone or Godfather role, where the police and politicians are in her pocket. 

Unlike the Godfather, Alvara doesn’t command loyalty with generosity and has to get her hands dirty in a Russian Roulette game to deal with disloyalty. It’s the law under the notorious Alvara, a law of the underworld set at her favorite game. A world without the courts or defense, a world ruled with unbias, fairness, chance, and instant judgment. While gangsters don’t settle disputes in the courts, we see a seeming less application of violence within a dark underworld. A resolve by a chance to live or die through a game. While The Russian Roulette is the judge and jury, it preserves the role of the executioner to a person. But the game isn’t a simple roulette casino spin: it’s a bullet in a revolver barrel in a swift spin, a cruel adaptation.

The type of landscape suggests a socially progressive one, a subdued morality, and freedom for all. Yet, it feels like a time of reckless social living, a near “purge”, or a return to the lawless west, where disloyalty and revenge killing may be legitimate. Clearly, the TV series proof of concept for Double Zero deviates from utter O.K Corral gun violence, yet it doesn’t refute it.

The desire for disloyalty or the lack of caution of it, by Liv and Diana, depicts a recklessness in life. A breakdown of society or the natural order may have occurred. If democracy has succeeded in delivering equal rights then women (gangsters) can make such choices. And it’s either for the lack of men or subversion of male dominance, a political arena probably filled with previous female Presidents. 

The female gender taking center stage is a welcome ideology. In Double Zero, it’s a reality, women do not fear men, and freedom of speech is complete. Made for only matured audiences, this short treats matured speech as a need for full expression and therefore a tool for its dialogue. The performance benefits from directing choices, it helps make the actors take the internal, and make it physical (visible). We are not only seeing what is happening to the characters, we are living their deciet, desire, tragedy, pain, frustrations, and dilemma.

While crime dramas aren’t dominated by women, this short opens a chasm for the female performers, allowing the characters to shine on multi-levels. Female characters need that much berth to not be seen as subdued, and rather creative enough to reel in ideas for their characters. Pat must have had to work closely with the actors to articulate their multiple choices and orchestrate them into his single-minded vision of a female-driven crime drama. For example, there are multiple ways in which the performance could go in the roulette scene (interrogation) between Alvara, Liv, Diana, and Ray.

The subdued beauty of the characters layers well with their vulgarity, serving up their fierceness. Pat threw in enough layer of roughness to the character’s features, to add a believable recklessness. And the mysterious ending from Diana served up the usual hook for the next TV episode.

Writer, Directed and Produced: Pat Bradley

Cast
Jamie Ragusa as “Alvara”
Caroline Anderson as “Olivia”
Vivian Belosky as “Diana”
Casey Sullivan as “Ray”
Jason Alan Collins as “Justin”
Brette Spiekerman as “Hitwoman

Crew
Cinematographer: Travis Dover
Gaffer: Sean Dolnick
Audio: Shea Glasheen
Editor: Brian Allen
Hair & Makeup: Brette Spiekerman
Makeup & SFX: Elena Panos
Production Manager: Dinorka Concepcion
Casting: Pat Bradley
Music Supervisor: Pat Bradley

Music by
Composer: Steve Zink
Reluctant Mortem – Lust For Ashes
Sally Sweets – My Medicine
Nuphsed – Avalance prod. by DJ Green Lantern

Film Gear
Camera: Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro G2 w/Rawlite OLPF
Codec: BRAW 3:1
Filter: PolarPro 1/4 mist (indoor only)

Lens
Rokinon XEEN Cinema Lens
24MM @ T1.5for the establishing shot.
35MM @ T2.2 for the remainder of the film.

Lighting
Godox VL150
Godox VL300
Apurture B7c
Apurture MC\

Audio
Sennheiser 416 Mic
Tascam DR-10L Lav Mics.
MixPre 3 Recorder.

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