It looks as though (at the time of this writing) Scott has cornered the market, so to speak, on movie reviews that begin with the more obscure letters of the alphabet, Z, X, and Q. So, I'm proud to present my first review of a film starting with the letter Z, and rather surprisingly, it doesn't contain the word ‘zombie'.

The particularly cool titled Zzyzx is an independent film from director Richard Halpern. In typical low budget fashion the story is limited to three central characters - two friends, Lou (Kenny Johnson of TV's “The Shield”) and the unbelievably annoying Ryan (Ryan Fox), as well as the wife of a man they run down on a Nevada desert road. The plot is simple as the friends try and keep their secret from the dead man's wife, Candice, but as the film progresses, it seems as though Lou enjoys toying with Candice a little too much, and Candice may know more than she lets on.

The result is a very basic story that is compelling enough in its execution to be considered more than worthwhile. The dialogue flows very naturally, and the actors all perform well, despite their one dimensionality. Lou is far beyond being just an asshole, as he is constantly demeaning his friend, and the film begins with his threatening to run down an innocent stranger on the highway despite Ryan's pleas not to. Ryan is more annoying than anything, presenting the worst dialogue of the film. He is supposed to be a character foil to Lou, providing a sense of innocence in the proceedings as they unfold, but his character is a whiner of incredible proportions, and it is impossible to sympathize with a character you nearly despise. We're meant to abhor Lou, and we do, but the character of Ryan misses the mark entirely. The only character misstep in the film, as the other characters are portrayed quite suitably.

We know very little about the characters pasts, as the film is less concerned with developing sympathetic characters than it is with unfolding a twisted series of events as we watch. This works out in the films favour, as the less we know about the characters the better, and the characters actually lose credibility and seem more one dimensional than they should as information is provided to us about them and their past. Unfortunately, this means as the film progresses and develops, it loses its relatively solid footing, as characters become more clichéd, and thus less interesting.

The story deserves some credibility itself, as it is well crafted beyond its simplicity. The characters actions are believable, and I was thoroughly entertained throughout. However the final sequence is one of role reversals that turns the entire film on its head. This is not necessarily a good thing, as the film now takes on a new tone, and hits the viewer over the head with a transition from a simple to unnecessarily elaborate story, which requires a number of flashbacks to explain the events leading up to the film, and even events which we've already seen transpire.

Zzyzx (pronounced as though it would rhyme the word ‘Isaac's') begins as a surprisingly effective character-driven thriller, but loses the charm that makes it so unique as the film draws to its unsettlingly violent climax. Characters lose credibility, the plot takes on more weight than is necessary, and the epilogue is rather unsatisfying. While none of this is enough to ruin the experience, it certainly lessens the overall impact of the film, resulting in an average film that could have been (and should have been) much better.