ZigZag

REVIEW
From the writer of the film adaptations of the Blade series comes another adaptation, this time of a novel by Landon J. Napoleon that probes the sheer disparity of what parenthood means to different people. The title character, subtly rendered by newcomer Jones, is functionally autistic. But unlike the recent spate of films that deal expressly and eagerly with mental illness, Goyer seems more or less content to use ZigZag’s autism as primarily a plot device and secondarily as a way to underscore just how vulnerable he is. There is an abusive father (Snipes, in a welcome dramatic turn) and a mildly sadistic boss to be protected from, and the generous, terminally-ill Big Brother Singer (Leguizamo) ably fits the bill. As the story unfolds, the desperate ZigZag is involved in some malfeasance and Singer makes it his life’s work to extricate him from this entanglement because, well, he’s got a good heart. A bit far-fetched? Perhaps. And if the plotting of this urban fable seems a bit contrived and broadly drawn at times, that’s because it is. But thanks in large part to the subdued, compellingly real performances by this ensemble of actors near the top of their game, ZigZag manages to remind us that kind and generous spirits are out there in the world, and sometimes that’s enough.