Genres

Visitors Review

catcat_catcat 2012-05-24 19:01:10

Keep an eye out for the colours

Zodiac goes for about 3 hrs but I didn't get bored - probably becauseI'm fascinated with criminology. You will need to have some interest inthat sort of thing to enjoy this film, otherwise I can imagine it couldbe excruciating. Even so, I found the acting to very convincing andenjoyable in itself.One thing that stood out while watching this was the colourprogression. The beginning is dominated by orange tones and offset withsome blues. As the film goes on the balance gradually changes so thatby the 80's there are mainly blues balanced out by oranges and somered. Look out for how the poles of the newspaper office start outorange and are repainted blue!

pleasendlost 2012-05-24 12:11:14

Sent Me To Sleep

For the first time ever in my life, I was seriously thinking of turningthis off before it ended.I drifted in and out of consciousness, not because i was tired, butbecause of how boring this was.I cannot believe how dry, dull and drawn out this film was. It was likeone of those reconstructions on "FBI Files" or something like that.Where was the atmosphere? How about some kind of plot woven around thetwo hacks? I wasn't expecting a sensationalist telling of the tale,just a bit of the filmmaker's craft to enjoy.And this was from the director of Seven...

commandercool88 2012-05-20 23:51:04

Subtle Darkness

More than a decade after 'Seven' put David Fincher's name on the bigstage, the visionary director returns to the same subject that broughtsuch success. Serial killers. 'Zodiac', a mature and brooding film,reaccounts one of our country's most tantalizing unsolved mysteries.Who was the Zodiac killer? Fincher sets out to answer that veryquestion, and in doing so, creates a masterpiece of epic proportions.It's 1969, and the country will soon be captivated by the actions ofone, villainous man. The Zodiac killer. Over the period of severalyears, this mysterious figure will terrorize San Francisco andsurrounding areas. Brutally, yet flawlessly, taking the lives of hisvictims, he will repeatedly elude investigators. It's lowly cartoonistRobert Graysmith, who works at the San Fransisco Chronicle to which theZodiac has been writing letters to, who will become obsessed with thecase and the unknown face behind it all. With the help of Paul Avery, anewspaper editor who becomes 'blacklisted' by the Zodiac, and DavidToschi, a local investigator looking into possible leads in the case,Graysmith will embark on a more than decade long effort to unmask theuncatchable killer.For David Fincher, whose resume includes 'Seven', 'Fight Club', and'Panic Room', 'Zodiac' marks a new step in Fincher's already terrificcareer. While 'Zodiac' may not be Fincher's best piece of work, it'scertainly his most mature and accomplished effort to date. Subtle andlow-key, it's a film that doesn't offer many answers, yet leaves youunnerved and disturbed because of its own murkiness. Topping 160minutes, 'Zodiac' remains a taut and steady-paced film that rarelystumbles. It could have been edited down to a more economical length,but being the precise man that he is, Fincher does what he does for areason. And I sure as hell won't question his motives. Because at itsbest, 'Zodiac' works as a suspense-ridden and edge-of-your-seatthriller. And at other times, a smart sharp-witted drama. It perfectlyconveys its atmosphere of fear and unease, and don't doubt that you'llcast a glance or two over your shoulder coming out of the theater.'Zodiac' is a sweeping masterpiece. Beautifully shot, thecinematography manages spectacular shots of San Francisco that capturesthe look and feel of the time.'Zodiac' catches much of its cast at the height of their respectablecareers. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.,it's hard to distinguish who is superior. Gyllenhaal can add 'Zodiac'to his already impressive list of films that includes 'Donnie Darko','Brokeback Mountain', and 'October Sky'. Gyllenhaal's take as a manobsessed with a case seemingly out of his hands allows the audience,who is on the same page as Gyllenhaal despite possibly knowing theoutcome, to connect the dots alongside Robert Graysmith. 'Zodiac' alsofinds Ruffalo at the top of his game, who is slick and sharp in hisperformance as an investigator who is slowly watching the baffling caseslip beneath the cracks. And it's great to see Robert Downey continuehis rebound. After an impressive performance in 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang',Downey plays the amusing newspaper editor who descends down a slipperslope when he gets the attention of the Zodiac himself. A terrificensemble, each of the film's players disappear into their characterswho are but pawns in the Zodiac's villainous scheme.A faithful interpretation of a frustrating crime, 'Zodiac' is made allthe more frustrating for those who know its unsettling conclusion.David Fincher continues to be a breath of fresh air, a meticulousstoryteller who mixes style and substance with compelling results. It'sFincher the way we like him, fine-tuned and creating a subtly hauntingfilm. 'Zodiac' may not have in store for us a grand and explosivefinale, but the end result is a rewarding payoff for those who take thejourney.

2012-05-20 12:55:09

Scary Days in the Bay Area

I can clearly remember living in the San Francisco Bay Area during the days when the Zodiac was active. I was very diligent about locking doors, and I frequently looked over my shoulder. When the book was published, I read it with great interest. The book was well written, and in fact I re-read it after meeting a couple of the detectives that worked on the case. The movie was an excellent companion to the book. I found the acting credible, the music true to the period, and it certainly recreated a scary time. I was concerned that the movie might be a horror story rip-off of the book, but it was not. It was more a combination documentary/detective story and well worth my time. As is generally the case, the HD DVD provides the experience that resembles the theater experience. Highly recommended

2012-05-15 04:26:48

Two decades in the life

I watched a film today, oh boyAbout a quiet man who wrote a bookAnd though the book did rather wellNo one had time for laughsThey saw the photographsOf people shot dead in their carsThey didn't know at first the killer's nameA group of letters soon appearedHe said he'd killed them allNobody was really sure if he was just leading them on I saw a film today, oh boyAbout a killer named the ZodiacAnd though the film was rather sadWell I just had to lookHaving missed the bookIt really was quite long(to the tune of "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles)First of all, this movie is more like a crime documentary, focusing mainly on the tedious and labor intensive background work that went into the investigation of the murders that took place in the San Francisco Bay area in the sixties. From the title, you already know that the killer is the infamous (and so far unidentified) Zodiac, and because the case is still unsolved, the ending is understandably vague.The next thing you should know is that it's a long movie that takes you step by step through the case from the shooting of Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau to the publication of Robert Graysmith's first book of the same name.It very effectively chronicles the personal and career upheavals of the main characters, especially the fixation of Graysmith (Sensitive guy Jake Gyllenhaal who's no stranger to obsessive roles), the dedication of Inspector David Toschi (a rumpled looking Mark Ruffalo) and the unpredictability of crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jnr. doing what he does best).At some points you can almost hear Graysmith's torment - "I wish I knew how to quit you Zodiac killer" - and at these moments you'll wish for Lilly Rush and the Cold Case team to come in and solve it once and for all. Recommended for people into true crime stories, but for obvious reasons you won't learn much more about Zodiac that you already know. Amanda Richards, August 5, 2007

film_riot 2012-05-14 18:27:11

Zodiac

David Fincher is back in the serial killer genre. With "Se7en" hedelivered one of the masterpieces of thrillers. So the expectations foranother serial killer film of him are almost unattainable. But Fincheris a smart boy and knows that and so he went into a completelydifferent direction, which was about the cleverest thing he could do.In "Zodiac" he plays with the expectations of the audience. He startsthe film with multiple killings, but he didn't shoot these scenes theway you would see them in a thriller, he uses a very unexcited and moreobserving style. Often the film is called a thriller, but I don'treally see where this is coming from. There are definitely frighteningscenes (like the one in the house, where you hear footsteps above), butit is more a character drama, or as Fincher sometimes calls it ininterviews, a press film. With "Zodiac", Fincher proves that he isreally a director who can do anything (well, we haven't seen aFincher-comedy). Before I forget it, great actors: Jake Gyllenhaal,Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, …

dbacke1 2012-05-05 11:15:08

Excellent!

This a top-notch crime thriller, and the best part about it is that itis true, which makes it even more compelling. I have studied this casesomewhat extensively, and I was pleased to see how close the screenplayfollowed the book and the factual events as they occurred. There isn'ta bunch of Hollywood "fluff" to try to add irrelevant entertainment ortricky plot lines in order to keep the viewer hooked. It was a longmovie, but it didn't feel like it. In fact, I didn't want it to end,because I wanted to see if perhaps there were any recent developmentsthat I was not aware of that were added to the story. The script wasfast moving and the performances were great from the entire cast.Robert Downey was awesome, and I am so happy that he got himselftogether over the past few years and has made a great comeback. He isdefinitely one of this country's most gifted and talented actors. Ifyou like true crime, don't miss this!!!

Lindsayrand 2012-05-04 17:43:07

Can you break the secret code?? cause i cant

It was good and very suspenseful from the beginning. It also kept myass on the edge of my seat. The storyline made you think and there weremany twists and turns. The cinematography was done extremely well,along with the costumes. I also loved all of the actors, especiallyRobert Downey Jr. He was amazingly funny and fresh. Jake did a good jobas well, but they did not do such a great job on giving him a propermake-up/aging process. There were many good actors in this movie and Ihighly recommend it.*my only issue with Zodiac is its lenght. . .3 hours was a lil to long.I would of never ever walked out,but i would stack up on refreshments :)

2012-05-02 11:47:24

Extended director's cut coming in 2008

Get this bare bones DVD if you'd like -- the movie is excellent, of course. But director David Fincher's extended director's cut (most likely 3 hours & change) will be reissued in '08. If it's anything like previous "re-issues" (Fight Club, Se7en) it should have a wealth of extras: multiple commentaries, behind-the-scenes, interviews, etc.

kallizmartin 2012-05-01 18:06:17

Suspenful thriller that is spot on all over - a fantastic movie

I was mesmerized while watching this movie. If I were to describeFinchers' direction with one word, it'd be 'tight'. David Fincher hascreated a spellbinding movie, realistic and at sometimes even scary.The performances in this movie are...Actually, I am having troublesright now to come up with the right words for describing how I feltabout this movie. I absolutely loved it. The universe is just sorealistic that it's like traveling back in time to the 70's (in whichdecade most of the film takes place). The acting is plain and simplespot on. Jake Gyllenhaal is very, very good in his portrayal of theobsessed Robert Graysmith. Robert Downey Jr. is the movie's comicrelief (along with a man selling coffee), but is also brilliant as thedrunkard reporter Paul Avery, whom, despite using substances anddrinking heavily, is a fantastic reporter. Mark Ruffalo and AnthonyEdwards play the two main detectives investigating the Zodiac Killer,and they pull it off with elegance. For me, there is nothing tocomplain about when it comes to the acting.The soundtrack in this movie fits the time period superbly and is justplain cool. As usual the camera work is stunning, as it tends to be inFinchers' movies. This movie is very, very suspenseful at times andsome viewers might find it to be a bit long. I don't feel that at all.I feel that the length of the movie is just as it should be, as themovie contains a lot of details that all deserve the time they've beengiven. A film like this would be nothing without it.To sum it up, this movie is spot on all over. I loved it, and youshould too.

edwagreen 2012-05-01 01:37:47

Zodiac Offers Compelling Guessing Game ***1/2

Absorbing, taut thriller about a serial killer in San Francisco and theresulting havoc that is caused.The film is a continuous guessing game of leads, innuendos, and muchmore as the state of California struggles with these bizarre killingswhich are spread over several years.The acting here is top notch with commanding performances by MarkRuffalo, as a police inspector heading the investigation, Robert DowneyJr., a reporter, caught up in the mayhem and acting in a way that youcould be suspicious of him as well. In addition, Jake Gyllenhaal is infine form as a cartoonist working for the San Francisco chronicle whobecomes obsessed with finding the guilty.There are plenty of questions, threats and intimidation along the way.While the ending offers no complete solution, this is a film thatreally gets you to think.

2012-04-30 18:51:25

"Methods to His Madness"

There's nothing quite like a mystery. Lately, we have gotten a lot of films involving investigative puzzles. (`The Davinci Code,' `Inside Man,' and `National Treasure,' come to mind.) Such is the case with `Zodiac,' except this film is a true-to-life crime story about a serial killer who stalked victims in Vallejo and San Francisco, CA starting in 1969. It was unprecedented at the time because the police success rate was good until then, and the "Summer of Love" was a not-too-distant memory. Gripping at times, the whole movie becomes an illuminating account of heinous crimes by a clever killer who managed to slip out of investigators hands for years. Starting in Vallejo a mysterious hooded stranger stalks a teenage couple who are parked at Lovers' Lane on the Fourth of July. In a separate car he stops by and harasses them briefly before returning to the scene. Using a gun with a flashlight attached, he mercilessly shoots and kills both of them in the car. There are other similar acts that follow scattered from that first murder, but he refuses to remain completely anonymous. Thriving on publicity, he calls the police to announce his crimes--briefly, but precisely identifying his cruel acts with his victims. He also sends letters to `The San Francisco Chronicle' with code work meant for them to decipher. Similar confidence appears as he announces their cruel fate to loved ones and sends letters with no code, written in handwriting hard to trace. Nicknamed "Zodiac" he terrorizes the people of California, leaving clues like a morbid real-life Riddler. Having skeletons in his closet and a fascination for the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," Zodiac remained mysterious, yet committed to his mayhem. Most of the drama zeroes in of the investigation, which is two fold. For 'The San Francisco Chronicle' columnist, Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) and political cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) are at odds with one another, but see eye to eye enough to share drinks and some of the investigation together. In another part of town, Inspector Dave Tocchi (Mark Ruffalo) tries to piece it all together. He's smart and thorough, but has many difficulties. As the years go by, we see suspects come and go and how little pieces of the puzzle fit together to find a composite portrait. Obviously, it is not a labor of love, given the scope and energy required for the project, but one of the ironies of the story is Graysmith's persistence with the case. Having an inquisitive and ambitious nature himself, he doesn't have the sensibility to throw in the towel. `Zodiac' is not only fascinating, but is laid-back enough to give us a true-to-life drama. All of the actors only magnify the account by their grasp of the humanness of their characters. The three stars Gyllenhaal, Downey, and Ruffalo especially keep it real. Thanks to director David Fincher and screenwriter James Vanderbilt, we are transported to a troubled time and place with expert detail. It is suspenseful at times, but the understatement along with some old newsreels only adds to the authenticity. Their weariness and the problems they face make it all the more human. Both journalists grapple with ambition while they juggle their responsibilities and their personal lives. Both Paul and Robert are contacted by the killer and the repercussions quietly take their toll. 'Zodiac' excels at method and execution, retracing the steps of ordinary people trying to solve an extraordinary crime.

Jeffrey Lubeck 2012-04-29 11:25:08

Using the Facts to Create a Pleasing Crime Thriller

Zodiac, David Fincher's film about the impact the San Francisco BayArea serial killer's case had on three primary characters is deliveredwith great attention to detail and proper pacing. Zodiac is not a filmthat uses or relies on suspended disbelief to succeed and does notattempt to compress five years of story into one in order to keepviewers interested. Instead it relies heavily on the facts and uses allof its 158 minutes to present them in almost linear form and staccatofashion.Set primarily in San Francisco in the late 1960's and 70's (andeventually the 80's) Fincher's Zodiac takes no artistic license byadding the obligatory car chase scene down Russian Hill, drug enhancedevening in Haight-Ashbury or conspiracy oriented behind the scenesmoves by City Hall. Instead the audience is presented with a crediblestory that portrays how stress, tension, frustration and fascinationplay upon the lives of S. F. Police Inspector David Toschi (MarkRuffalo), S.F. Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist Robert Graysmith (JakeGyllenhall), and S.F. Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (Robert DowneyJr.). Each of these people, as well as those surrounding them areoperating well within the confines of every day life and theestablishment. Fincher does not let Zodiac wander outside its centralstory, and therefore no editorial comment about the Vietnam War orsimilar events of the day are offered. Insights about the impact on thevictims (who survive) or their families are only touched upon if theyremain central to the story.The initial scenes of the movie depict the killer in operation and theyare not sugar coated. However, viewers wanting to see a film in thestyle of Fincher's Alien (3), Se7en or even Fight Club (i.e., blood andgore to almost surreal levels) should look elsewhere.Zodiac is a well crafted production on all fronts. In addition toFincher, the lead actors and extensive (and well known) supporting castZodiac producer's assembled a credible team. James Vanderbilt(Screenplay), David Shire (Score), Donald Burt (Production Design),Keith Cunningham (Art Direction), Victor Zolfo (Set Direction) andCasey Storm (Costume Design) all deliver quality work in theirrespective areas. There are no weak spots in this film. Zodiac may not(or attempt to) dazzle, but it does please.

Gordon-11 2012-04-29 01:22:14

Impressive suspense

This film recounts the serial murder by a mysterious murder who calledhimself Zodiac.There is so much suspense in the film that keeps me on the edge all thetime. I am impressed by Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of the insistentcartoonist, Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of a lost alcoholic. Thecharacters in the film are developed so well that we get to care aboutall of them, even though they may have only a few minutes of screentime. An example is the woman with the baby who escaped from Zodiac.She is in the film for only a few minutes, but her scenes createpivotal suspense in the film. This film maintains the suspensethroughout its length, which is in itself an achievement!

Global_Marketing_Pros 2012-04-27 18:30:56

Plot analysis of Zodiac motives, a true story

This film is an excellent documentary. Its method of documentary thepast is excellent. The cinematography in color and sound is alsoexcellent. The reasoning for camera angles is the key to telling thisstory, just as the motives of the Zodiac killer himself. A logicaldesign within a design for a theatrical plot.I camera angle is intended to give the audience a perspective. Theaudience is what the director intends to persuade with hisstory-telling in audio-visual format. This is curious since thedirector of this film eludes to certain facts about the Zodiac killer'scharacter such as listening to record playing music, the type of pistolused, the type of knife used. How was the record of history used? Thelogical motives of the Zodiac killer was to instill fear in the policeby terrorism of children at random. Then supposedly he followed up withphone calls to file their complaint to the authorities. In this moviehis complaint was that his lust for terror could not be satisfied nomatter how many persons he killed. His lust for the method of killingwas also a great influence to his motivation. The use of guns andknives physical violence, while it was communicated to the authoritiesby himself.Why did the killer use record music in this film. What was the killerlistening to? The Zodiac was a clever code like any language. A logicalcode based on survival instincts, to feed a hunger. Not like a hungerfor food, which was the one intent of the original Zodiac to depictseasonal change for farming. I was based on what we see in the sky, inthe stars as direction in our lives. Maybe, he felt like the directorin this film when he could hear the beautiful music at his command.The Zodiac killer is said to have enjoyed killing people more than wildanimals. His intentions to conceal his identity within the Zodiac codeis curious as the human nature of language itself. Why would both aphone call and written letters be used? Why not just one method ofcommunication. The audio-visual nature of the communication processdenotes a separation in the thought process into two motives. Thepsychosis of what is heard is admission, because the admission ofenjoying human torture and death is also self annihilation. The visualcode would indicate a second motive to conceal, or mislead, or furtherterrorism. As with both audio and visual a record can be made asknowledge, this record is his command of reality.The Zodiac Killer hence enjoys the record he is making of a command ofdeath for humans, and his reality. Because there is some selectionprocess. The Zodiac is human nature's way to determine direction, andtime of year. It is at the time of the Zodiac Killer an internationalcoordinate system that is codified as a science. Just as the criminaljustice process was codified as a science. His killing tactics however,contradict both his motives and science. His killing tactics are basedon terrorism, intimidation, and homicide. His command of science withthe use of the Zodiac, writing, and the telephone suggest a logicalmodus. Hence a planned motive of audio-visual evidence.I note that given the time period of the Zodiac killer the use of thetelephone was not known to be recorded as 911 calls are today forevidence. Or the science and technology for use was not public, thusexpert witness of criminal justice system was manipulated to possiblyexpose some hidden secret of planned homicide and use oftelecommunications for criminal justice.

george.schmidt 2012-04-27 06:40:00

Fincher's home-run; a touch of "All The President's Men" and classic Lumet '70s flix; one of the year's best & the first must-see of '07!

ZODIAC (2007) **** Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards,Robert Downey, Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny, JohnGetz, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, Ciara Hughes, Pell James,Patrick Scott Lewis, June Raphael, Philip Baker Hall, Tom Verica, ZachGrenier, Adam Goldberg, James LeGros, Charles Fleischer, Clea DuVall,Paul Schulze. Filmmaker David Fincher hits a home run in thisabsorbing, unsettling true-life account of the infamous Zodiac killingsin the San Francisco Bay area that haunted California, and inparticular its law enforcement, for literally decades. A stellarensemble with strong performances by Ruffalo and Edwards as homicideinspectors David Toschi and William Armstrong, respectively; Downey ascrime reporter of the San Francisco Chronicle, Paul Avery; andespecially Gyllenhaal as the newspaper's political cartoonist RobertGraysmith (whose books the excellent adaptation by James Vanderbilt arebased on), who doggedly became mired in his own investigation, obsessedwith the cryptic cipher who kept a manhunt at bay for so many years offrustration, personal lives shattered and literally thousands of hoursof speculation and innuendo. Fincher dials back on the waycool cameratrickery and instead wisely focuses on the policier at hand with expertprecision and a dynamite '70s feel décor thanks to production designerDonald Graham Burt, dank cinematography by Harris Savides, art directorKeith P.Cunningham, costumes by Casey Storm, David Shire's musicalscore and razor-sharp editing by Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall. The filmhearkens back to classic Lumet and '70s suspense as well as "All ThePresident's Men" meat-and-potatoes investigative journalism. Finallythe first great film must-see of the year.

marlyly 2012-04-26 12:04:19

Interesting

I don't know much about the case of Zodiac outside of this film, so Ican't really comment on how close to the truth the story of this filmis, or how well each person played their part in comparison to theirreal-life counterpart. However, I can comment on this film for what itis - a fascinating story of a cartoonist's search for the identity of aserial killer who all else seem to have given up on ever finding.The pacing of the film is slow, but if I'm honest, that's the type ofpacing that I prefer, where the director lets things build up ratherthan adopting the 'thrill-a-second' approach that certain directorshave taken with their films lately. The acting was good - I'm usually abig fan of Jake Gyllenhaal but I wasn't really blown away by hisperformance in this film - it was OK, he played his part, but I didn'treally connect with the character at any point. I was impressed byRobert Downey Jr, who plays a believable Paul Avery, but my favouriteperformance of the film by far was by Mark Ruffalo as David Toschi - hereally made the character his own.The plot is interesting, but of course limited due to being based onreal life case. I've heard people complain that the ending isunsatisfactory as we never 'really' find out who the Zodiac killer is -only who he 'probably' is, but I'm pleased the film chose to stay trueto the facts rather than adopt a more Hollywood 'all loose stringstied' approach. I can't really pick any faults with this film, theacting is great, the script is faultless, the direction brilliant, butI've still given it four stars instead of five because, althoughthere's nothing really wrong with it, it's still missing a certainsomething that makes it extra special. Some films have it, some don't,and sadly this film falls into the latter category. But that's not tosay this is a bad film at all - in fact, it is a very good one - justnot the greatest.

red_identity 2012-04-25 20:31:09

An instant Crime classic

Zodiac is a departure from many other crime/mystery films. This filmdoes not include the usual heavy violence or rampage killings. In thatway, I think it is a better film.This film relies heavily on one character, Robert Graysmith, and hisobsession in finding the true Zodiac killer. Jake Gylenhaal plays himbrilliantly. The whole cast is perfect. Mark Ruffalo and Robert DowneyJr. are also the other two characters who you truly identify with. Iwas surprised, I was expecting this film to be more like Se7en orsomething, which relied on a lot of twists and heavy crimes. What Ifound was it was a very realistic portrayal on what goes on in policework as to find actual killers. I was more invested with the charactersand the great writing of the screenplay, than of how the crimes werecompleted. David Fincher also proves he is a director capable ofanything. In Se7evn, he is able to manage the cold and suspensefulatmosphere of the story. In his recent film, The Curious Case ofBenjamin Button, he was able to capture such a magical and touchinglife of a certain man. Here, he balances in the middle.This is a must-see film. I found it is one of the best of 2007. I amsure, just like Se7en, it will become a crime classic, but fordifferent reasons.

zetes 2012-04-21 10:10:40

Great flick. Can't wait for the special edition DVD!

Although I've pretty much despised every film David Fincher has made upto this point, I'd always readily admit that he was a pretty gooddirector. If only he had decent material. Zodiac is a super-detailedaccount of the Zodiac murders that occurred in California in the late'60s through the mid '70s, one of the most famous unsolved cases inAmerican history. One would expect, given the director's previousSe7en, that the film would be horrifyingly gory and unrelentinglynasty. The big surprise is that it isn't at all. We do witness severalof the murders, but Fincher doesn't attempt to gross the audience outas he did in Se7en. This is all done in a matter-of-fact way, in themanner of a procedural. It's amazing the way that Fincher andscreenwriter James Vanderbilt, as well as Robert Graysmith, who wrote abook on the subject and is one of the key participants in the story(played by Jake Gyllenhaal), construct the screenplay. They feed usjust tons of details, but it doesn't at all feel like a dull list. Thestory also skips ahead in time constantly. Every few minutes, there's anew subtitle, telling us that this is "4 months later" or whatever.It's easy to lose the mood with such a fragmented structure, but Zodiacworks perfectly. What's really amazing is how the details build.They're absorbed by the audience. There's so much there that, by theend of the film, everyone looks like they could be the Zodiac. It's agreat film, one of the best procedural films ever done, and one of thebest, so far, of 2007.btw, rent, don't buy, the first, bare bones edition of the DVD. Thestudio was desperate to release it, but Fincher has been working on adirector's cut and tons of extras. The better DVD should be alongsometime early in 2008.

snow-mblu 2012-04-20 16:59:32

Such a great cast... Such a great waste...

I came to see this movie with great expectations, after all it was aDavid Fincher's movie with an unbelievable cast! I was sodisappointed...The actors play their roles wonderfully! Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffaloand specially Robert Downey Jr. But there is no character development.But where Zodiac fails the most is in capturing the viewer. The movieis too long, and the story is told in a way that it won't make you holdon to your chair hoping to see the case solved, as any good detectivestory will. Most of the public will hope the case is solved so they canstop watching the movie as soon as possible, because unfortunately,it's boring! It isn't exciting or troubling as a thriller should be...This movie had the potential of being really good, it's unfortunatethat it fails so much!