Zodiac (2007)

"Before I kill you, I'm going to throw your baby out the window.", 7 September 2007

Almost 40 years ago, the San Francisco area was terrorized by a crazed killer known only as Zodiac. He committed what seems to have been a series of cold-blooded, but random murders. He would follow-up the killings with letters sent to the police and newspapers that taunted them with clues and cryptograms that promised to reveal his identity. He claims to have killed a dozen or so people. But after years of activity, the Zodiac disappeared. Though some feel they know Zodiac's true identity, the case has never been officially solved. David Fincher's movie Zodiac is the story of this famous but dark period of American history and presents on possible solution to the mystery of the Zodiac.

Having recently done some reading on the Zodiac killer, I decided it was high time I checked out Fincher's movie. I was well aware of some of Fincher's other work but I hadn't read much about Zodiac, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Also, given the quality of some of the other movies made about real life serial killers, I tried not to get my hopes up too high. Overall, I'm very impressed. Zodiac is an intelligent, thrilling, well-written piece of cinema with some very good performances. If you're looking for a thrill-a-minute ride, you'll be disappointed. While some of the Zodiac's murders are shown in detail, they are not the focus of the movie. Instead, the investigation by the police and the reporters is central to Zodiac's plot. In a comment on IMDb, I read the comparison between Zodiac and All the President's Men and couldn't agree more. The obsession of Woodward and Bernstein to get to the bottom of Watergate is very similar to that of Robert Graysmith as he hunts for the elusive killer. Some may call it slow or even dull, but having an attention span longer than 30 seconds, I found it very exciting.

While I've done a little research on the Zodiac case, I'm far from an expert. But from what little I do know, I appreciate how well the movie sticks with the facts of the case. I'm sure those more well versed in the subject would be more qualified to respond to this, but I noted very few instances of creative liberties being taken with the material. And most of those instances seem to come from Graysmith's novel and were not made by those responsible for the movie. And I'm impressed with the way Fincher was able to take these known facts and create such an entertaining movie. Even though I knew the outcome and what was going to happen next, Fincher puts so much style and atmosphere into the movie that it's predictability with me hardly mattered. I was literally on the edge of my seat. It's a well directed movie.

Finally, I cannot end this without singling out some the acting as a real bright spot of Zodiac. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, and everyone else involved did a wonderful job. In fact, I cannot think of a single actor that I didn't enjoy. But as good as every performer was, I was most impressed with Mark Ruffalo as Inspector David Toschi. I bought his character completely. It's quite simply a brilliant performance.

8/10