Not much of a thriller if you ask me. Maybe for the Americans it is but for a Belgian like me it isn't. And by that I mean that here in Belgium we could not care less what a politician does in his private life. If he cheats on his wife then that's his problem and certainly not ours. As long as he does his job like he should it's not of our concern. And that's the big difference between puritan America that loves their so called scandals and Europe where privacy still means something. So to me the movie was just kind of boring. Not bad though, just average, nothing to be thrilled about. And that's just about the story because the actors were good, nothing bad to say about them. It's just the story that lacks of action and entertainment. Well that's my opinion about it. American reviewers will probably not think the same because they are used of the whole brainwashing circus that is going on with their elections and political campaigns. And that's a pity.

Zipper wants to be sleazy political thriller. It stars Patrick Wilson as a sex addicted state prosecutor Sam Ellis who is being groomed to climb the political ladder.

Ellis has a loving wife, Jeannie (Lena Headey) whose powerful and wealthy family has the political connections that her husband needs.

Sam quickly goes from internet porn to using an high class exclusive escort agency which is under investigation by the FBI. A suspicious journalist Coaker (Ray Winstone) threatens to expose Ellis's infidelities.

Wilson once again goes out on a limb as a charming but shady character who in the end might still have not learned from his mistakes.

He is hampered by a spotty script which goes nowhere apart from pleading that politicians are just like ordinary citizens with weaknesses. However politicians have a irritating habit of telling people how to live their lives despite their own moral shortcomings and when they get caught, they can use their power and wealth to keep it hidden.

Sam Ellis (Patrick Wilson) is an up and coming prosecutor. He goes after white collar politicians who are "over privileged and morally bankrupt." He wants to take done the mayor. In his office he interviews a high priced escort (Elena Satine) who claims the mayor was her client. Sam is reluctant to prosecute but does become curious about the web site. Soon he has an addiction for $1000/hr call girls. Their is an investigation of the escort service which causes Sam to panic setting up the second half of the film.

The film takes place in South Carolina which had a governor with zipper problems. The film is also timed nicely with the Ashley Madison breech. The film never allows you to feel compassion for Sam Ellis, so when he gets into trouble, you are just watching a guy go through the motions. This appears to be some sort of behind the scenes of our real politicians film that didn't seem to drive it home.

Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity (Lena Headey, Alexandra Breckenridge, Penelope Mitchell, Jessica Pike)