Zulu

Zulu is a 2013 French-South African crime film directed by Jérôme Salle and starring Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker. It was selected as the closing film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The film is partly based on Project Coast, the program for biological and chemical weapons of the South African apartheid regime, and the book Zulu by author Caryl Férey, winner of the French Grand Prix for Best Crime Novel of 2008. Plot As a child in Cape Town, Ali Sokhela (Forest Whitaker) witnesses the murder of his father via necklacing. Fleeing his father's murderers and on the run, a police dog hunts down Ali, leading to him being rendered a eunuch with active support of one of three white South African policemen. In present day, Ali is a homicide detective of the South African Police, partnered with fellow detectives Brian Epkeen (Orlando Bloom) and Dan Fletcher (Conrad Kemp). The men are called to investigate the murder of Judith Botha, a young woman found in the local Botanical Gardens, only to uncover that Judith was alive and her best friend Nicole Weiss is the victim, however who was found with Judith’s ID. She had been beaten to death. While interviewed, Judith claims that Nicole previously spent the evening with her boyfriend. Ali encounters two young boys violently fighting, both flee after Ali defuses the fight. Ali finds a white substance at the scene, a new form of tik, a psychologically manipulating drug with severe effects depending on dosage, as well as other factors. Meanwhile, Brian is revealed to be in the process of divorce from his wife, Ruby, whom he had betrayed, and who in turn is engaged in an affair with a rich dentist. Brian's teenage son David is also growing distant from him. Brian lives a bachelor lifestyle, seems always broke, and is a functioning alcoholic. Ali confronts exotic dancer Zina at her club "Sundance", who identifies Nicole's boyfriend as Stan Kwalana, a local drug dealer. At the same time, the department secretary Janet traces Nicole's phone to Muizenberg Beach. Upon arriving, Ali, Brian and Dan are attacked by a band of criminals, who proceed to mortally wound Dan with a machete, although Ali and Brian are able to kill some of their attackers. Dan later dies in hospital, leaving his wife Claire grief stricken. Following Dan's funeral, Ali is assigned by CTPD Captain Paul Kruger to investigate Cat, a crime lord with connections to Dan's killers.