Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- morally uneasy
- somber
- adult thriller night
- political drama double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the political morality thriller clumsy, bland, and self-serious, though Patrick Wilson’s committed lead performance earned recurring praise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam Ellis is a federal prosecutor pursuing political advancement while concealing an escalating escort addiction.
Sam’s career, powerful in-laws, investigators, and journalist Coaker make exposure a professional as well as domestic threat.
A supposedly one-time encounter with a high-end escort develops into an addiction that threatens Sam’s family and career.
Sam’s ascent through legal and political circles is set against the hidden, increasingly destabilizing world of his sexual compulsions.
Films like Zipper, and why
The Ides of March
political scandal, sexual secrecy, and a morally compromised protagonist
Unfaithful
erotic thriller tension, infidelity, and destructive compulsive behavior
Gone Girl
psychological unraveling, marital distrust, and a high-stakes disappearance of moral certainty
Movie Details
- Director
- Mora Stephens
- Release Date
- 2015-08-28
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (174)
Cast
- Patrick Wilson
- Lena Headey
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Ray Winstone
- John Cho
- Dianna Agron
- Elena Satine
- Alexandra Breckenridge
- Christopher McDonald
- Penelope Mitchell
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Zipper about?
- A rising federal prosecutor’s hidden addiction to high-end escorts imperils his marriage, political ascent, and carefully constructed moral identity.
- What is Zipper like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Zipper as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Zipper violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Zipper as mild.
- What did critics think of Zipper?
- Critics broadly found the political morality thriller clumsy, bland, and self-serious, though Patrick Wilson’s committed lead performance earned recurring praise.
- Which films are like Zipper?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ides of March, Unfaithful, and Gone Girl.
- How long is Zipper?
- Zipper runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Zipper?
- In United States, Zipper is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
