Zodiac - Movie Review

Zodiac is the newest film by masterful director, David Fincher, about the obsessive case of the Zodiac murderer. The film stars Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal, as a cop and a journalist who both over time obsess over the untraceable case, concerning a possible of thirty-seven supposed killings.

Zodiac contains three parts, or acts. In act 1 it tells the story of the Zodiac killer, and the individual reactions of cartoonist, Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal; alcoholic journalist, Paul Avery, played by brilliant Robert Downey Jr.; and co-lead detective, Inspector David Toschi. Each of these people react in different ways, one way being the necessity to find how who this killer is, and what his codes mean, and others which involve going to the pub and having n exotic blue drink.



When someone refers to an all star cast, usually they refer to names everyone has heard of, in this, there are 3 large box office draws, and has a handful of performances that "wow" you and make you want to go home and learn more about the actor. The film contains more than enough people to make this a star studded cast, that hopefully by the end of the year at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, it will not be forgotten. Robert Downey Jr. gives one of his best on screen performances, starting the Best Supporting Actor race for next years Academy Awards, while Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo will have to battle it out off screen come Oscar time, due to both being monstrously captivating in the mysterious case, and giving so far some of the best performances of the year. While this is not saying much, Mark Ruffalo does in fact contribute the best performance of his career.


The supporting cast consisting of Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards and John Carroll Lynch give standout performances as well. John Carroll Lynch in particular, who manages to intimidate us with only a few scenes in hand. Brian Cox plays Melvin Belli, a morning news reporter who is forced to talk to the maniacal killer, manages to be both remotely comical and eminently dramatic.

Usually in films like this they fail miserably, not going in-depth about murders, evidence and such, much like The Black Dahlia, however here, David Fincher grabs you by the throat and presents you evidence, and the consuming and tortured lives the main characters must lead to find out the final verdict of the case.

The film has an illusive running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes of what one would expect to be sheer torture, regardless it seems as if you are there only for an hour or so, and by the time the film is over and the credits are rolling in front of your face after an elongated end title sequence, you will have wanted to see even more! Throughout the film it is thrilling, scary, and very akin in genre to The Silence of the Lambs, which coincidentally was released less than a month before Zodiac 16 years earlier, giving Zodiac a sense of hope for all viewers in that it has the slim chance of being considerably commemorated near the Academy Award reception.

In its technical aspects such as cinematography, editing and art direction, still it succeeds magnificently. David Fincher being the first ever to entirely shoot a film in uncompressed digital format, it makes the film all the much more astounding to watch next to the masterminded cinematographer do his work. The editing is not the best aspect of the film, but technically takes the title, making everything even and not overstretched leaving everyone neither thoughtless nor apathetic during it.

The best element which is David Fincher's common, excluding Panic Room, but still bewildering and new direction about the unfound Zodiac executioner. David Fincher gives us hints of Se7en and elements of The Silence of the Lambs, making it not a stupid horror film, but an intellectual thriller, that does not spoon-feed the plot to you, but keeps you intrigued regardless of being mindful of the plot, whether it be by acting, or the occasional gruesome murder and thrilling scenes. If it were not for David Fincher, the film would be good, but not by any means as fantastic and consummate as the movie ended up being.

The screenplay adapted by numerous Robert Graysmith books, was written by James Vanderbilt who shows off his chops by including both comic relief that commences as clearly humorous to a undoubtedly heartbreaking performance from Robert Downey Jr. as washed up has been journalist who makes wise-cracks and intellectual dialogue including telling off his intervening boss or his truthful once friend. The movie is funny; it's dramatic, and overall thrilling.

Zodiac proves to be through each of its accurate; detailed and on occasion frightful themes a more than stellar and an above first-rate film, that leaves you literally on the edge of your seat. In comparison to Fincher's other works, Zodiac is his most cultivated and perfected film, not having any weaknesses to drag it down as his others had. If Zodiac does not go down as one of the best films of this decade, never the less ever in its genre, I for one will be affronted and choleric, and will make it my personal goal that others can appreciate this film and be absorbed by its plot and characters as I have. Zodiac remains the best film of 2007 as of yet, and illustrious casting putting the cherry on top of this sugar coated gem of a film.