Zero Effect (1998): Cast, Box Office, Plot & Where to Watch

Daryl Zero, Bill Pullman, is the world’s greatest detective, yet a socially maladroit misanthrope who never meets clients in person. Instead, he conducts every case through his assistant Steve Arlo, Ben Stiller. Zero also narrates much of the story, reading from lines he imagines for his proposed autobiography, turning the hunt into a blend of brisk deduction and dry self-reflection that frames the mystery from an intimate, idiosyncratic perspective.

Zero and Arlo are hired by Portland-area millionaire Gregory Stark, Ryan O’Neal, who has misplaced the key to a safe deposit box and is being squeezed by a blackmailer who demands escalating cash payments. The case quickly tightens as Zero follows a trail of red herrings, subtle clues, and calculated misdirections, inching toward a confrontation that will test his legendary objectivity.