Zodiac on DVD (2007)

Zodiac

Latka from Swansea , 07/06/2007

David Fincher retreads the serial killer genre with his latest offering Zodiac. Following the true-life case of the killings in the San Francisco area in the late 60's and 70's, Zodiac is not your usual true crime film.

Jake Gyllenhaal plays Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, who becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of the killer who has labelled themself 'ZODIAC'. When the killer begins sending letters to the newspaper, Graysmith takes an active interest in the case. But this is not just Graysmith's story, it is also the story of crime reporter Paul Avery (portrayed superbly by Robert Downey Jr) and lead police officer David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo in his best performance to date). You get to see how the crimes affect the three and how their lives were changed because of the killings and subsequent hunt for the killer.

The supporting cast is a who's who of acting pedigree, from Brian Cox's lawyer to Philip Baker Hall as a document's expert.

Many true crime films rely on heavy violence to tell the story, Zodiac does not. Whilst you see some of the murders, they are never portrayed in a gratuitous or exploitative way. The focus on the film being on the obsession of the main characters rather than the sensationalism of the crimes.

Even though the film has a running time of 158 minutes, the pacing of the film means that you never get bored. It is so tightly edited that not a moment of screen time is wasted. Added to that, you have a constant undercurrent of suspense that puts many modern horror films to shame. There are some scary moments, and none more than the fact that this is a true story.

Fincher is a master of visual style and this film is no different. The film looks like a seventies film (even down to classic 70's Warner and Paramount logos at the start).

The film also stays true to the source material, Graysmith's book 'Zodiac', and does not veer off into any moments of dramatic license. It is fact based, and because of this engages the audience more.

This is my film of the year so far. It is thought provoking and so well made it should be a blue print for how true crime films should be made. Great performances by all involved and the attention to detail is amazing (even down to radio adverts for the Rolling Stones' Altamont gig).

The film is up there with the best of true crime films, such as The Boston Strangler and To Catch A Killer. This is David Fincher, and his cast, on top form.

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Zodiac

SAI81 from Tonbridge [Highly rated reviewer] , 20/05/2007

Almost 40 years since his crimes the Zodiac case remains open, one of America's most infamous unsolved murder cases. This film is based on the book by Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) documenting both the police investigation and Graysmith's own inquiries into the case and laying out the case against the man he suspects of the killings. This is fantastic material for a movie and particularly for David Fincher, whose previous vernture in the serial killer/police procedural genre was Se7en.

Where, then, has it all gone so very wrong?

The problems are legion but perhaps the biggest is that David Fincher appears not to have made one film. He's made two and slapped them rather awkwardly together. The first film is about the Zodiac killings and the Police investigation. The hero is Mark Ruffalo's Detective Toschi and on the periphery hang Robert Downey Jr as a crime reporter and Gyllenhaal as Graysmith. Gyllenhaal has nothing to do for almost two hours besides hover over Downey's desk. Then comes film two in which Gyllenhaal takes over hero duties as Graysmith mounts his investigation years after the killings.

There's an awkwardness to the whole film. Characters drift in and out (for an hour in the middle you may forget that Gyllenhaal is in the movie) and some (Chloe Sevigny) could be lifted out of the film entirely without trouble. Nobody has an arc so there's no real investment in the characters. With this comes another big problem; because I don't really care about these people it's also hard to care about the events they are investigating. There's little tension here and certainly not the ever present foreboding that you feel in Se7en.

Even at almost three hours Zodiac has odd things missing, particularly criminal is that Fincher neglects to show us Graysmith cracking Zodiac's second code, despite the fact one of the few things we really get to know about him is how much he loves solving puzzles.

I can't really fault the acting. Downey is on excellent twitchy form and Anthony Edwards is great in a supporting role and Fincher's direction is as technically brilliant as ever. It's just that the film is a mess. It as if Fincher couldn't find his focus so he simply threw in everything and the kitchen sink. A horrible let down.

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Good true life crime thriller...

PaulaWestwood from Ashton-Under-Lyne [Highly rated reviewer] , 19/05/2007

This is issed remarkably close to the previous film 'Zodiac' released in 2005, the 2005 version is quite good, and is packaged very similarly and deals with preciserly the same subject , that is where the similarities end.

At 2 hours 40 minutes the new film is a bum number, but even though it seems overlong, it certainly grips you into watching and maintains your interest throughout.

The main bonus for me was the performance of Robert Downey Jr as the maveric reporter Paul Avery, it was very watchable indeed.

I would definately say, if you have the time on your hands, this is a definate recommended movie that ties up some loose ends from the 2005 version. Well worth a watch.

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Very Good

A customer from Aberdeen, Scotland , 24/05/2007

This film focusses on the 'Zodiac' serial killer. Or rather it focusses on the people trying to solve his crimes and identify him.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable film, and I recommend watching it. It's a thriller most definitly, but with a more interesting and detailed story than I've seen in a thriller for a long time.

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Its really is that bad!!

A customer from Oxford, England , 24/09/2007

Probably one of the most boring films I have seen in a while.

Dont get this if you are expecting a silence of the lambs type film. Do get this if you are the sort of person that enjoys watching paint dry. Its about 3 hours of my life wasted on this tat that I am never going to get back!

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Surprisingly gripping for a movie that runs so slowly. 7/10

Graham from UK [Highly rated reviewer] , 17/12/2007

After watching this film I still can not believe this killer remained at large for so long, incredible! However back to business, Zodiac is not your typical action, murder thriller, its far more mystery, drama and of course frustration, mainly of the police and press as apposed to the viewer! Based on the story of a real killer Zodiac closely follows the police investigation through the eyes of reporters Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey that spans over a decade. The interest levels are high and the tension is quite well built for the most part however many might find this hard going as the pace is not quick and Zodiac runs for well over 2 hours. The acting is of a good standard and despite the fact I am not too keen on long slow mystery movies I still enjoyed and still wanted to know the outcome throughout, my wife who is more of a murder mystery fanatic enjoyed far more. My score would be 6/10 but for viewers, who are, like my wife, murder mystery addicts you will undoubtedly rate higher as Zodiac is well produced and surprisingly gripping for a movie that runs so slowly. On balance we score this movie 7/10. 4 Stars.

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