Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- tense
- brooding
- crime thriller night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film a tense, grim South African crime thriller with compelling performances and social weight, though its plotting and brutality could feel heavy-handed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ali Neuman's childhood survival and Brian Epkeen's family history link the homicide investigation to South Africa's unresolved racial past.
Black homicide chief Ali Neuman works alongside white officer Brian Epkeen, whose family was involved in establishing apartheid.
The murders are connected to a new drug spreading among Cape Town residents amid gang activity and unemployment.
The investigation moves through sprawling under- and unemployed communities where modernization and brutality coexist.
Films like Zulu, and why
Endgame
South African crime investigation, post-apartheid social tensions, and morally bruising police drama
L.A. Confidential
Hard-edged police procedural driven by institutional corruption, racial history, and urban violence
City of God
Bleak crime thriller combining murder investigation with political trauma and corrosive social inequality
The Constant Gardener
Atmospheric international thriller about policing, racial conflict, and the legacy of political violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Jérôme Salle
- Release Date
- 2013-12-04
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (529)
Cast
- Orlando Bloom
- Forest Whitaker
- Conrad Kemp
- Inge Beckmann
- Tinarie Van Wyk-Loots
- Regardt van den Bergh
- Randall Majiet
- Iman Isaacs
- Joelle Kayembe
- Patrick Lyster
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Zulu about?
- A scarred Cape Town homicide chief and his troubled white partner confront a drug-fueled murder conspiracy in the lingering shadow of apartheid.
- What is Zulu like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Zulu as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Zulu violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Zulu as graphic.
- What did critics think of Zulu?
- Critics generally found the film a tense, grim South African crime thriller with compelling performances and social weight, though its plotting and brutality could feel heavy-handed.
- Which films are like Zulu?
- Films with a similar feel include Endgame, L.A. Confidential, City of God, and The Constant Gardener.
- How long is Zulu?
- Zulu runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch Zulu?
- In United States, Zulu streams on Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel.
