Sam Ellis is a man on the rise—a hot-shot prosecutor on the cusp of a bright future. When an intern at the office becomes infatuated with him, Sam unwisely attempts to quiet his desires by seeing a high-class escort—only to discover that the experience is more fulfilling and exhilarating than he could have imagined. A second appointment with an escort soon follows, and a third, sending his once idyllic life spiraling out of control. In the midst of wrestling with his demons, he suddenly finds himself being groomed to run for the Senate—thrusting him into the public spotlight, and forcing him to take increasingly dangerous measures to keep the press, the law and his wife off his trail.
Zipper has received negative reviews from critics, despite praise for Wilson's performance. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 20% rating, with a rating average of 4.38/10 based on 30 reviews. It has a score of 39% on Metacritic. Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian gave the film 2/5 stars, saying: "What's ultimately frustrating about Zipper is that it seems like it has something important to say about infidelity and the sex industry, but can't decide what that should be." Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film a negative review and said: "The movie comes across as a not particularly compelling episode of "House of Cards," and Wilson's Southern accent is equally unconvincing." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a negative review, saying: "There's neither topicality nor bite in this bland pseudo-thriller, which lathers on composer H. Scott Salinas' high-suspense score like shower gel after sweaty sex, yet rarely musters an ounce of genuine tension." Another negative review from Geoff Berkshire of Variety, saying: "Tawdry but cripplingly self-serious, the second feature from Mora Stephens benefits from Patrick Wilson's committed star turn. Still, the awkward end product would inevitably struggle in theatrical venues, making it more advisable to play to the base and go straight to VOD and premium cable." Despite having several negative reviews, Fred Topel from CraveOnline gave the film a positive review, with a score of 9.5/10, saying: "Zipper whips out the thrills… This year's Gone Girl… The grown-up thriller of the year."
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2015. Shortly after it was announced Alchemy had acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released on August 28, 2015, in a limited release and through video on demand.
