Zodiac (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
A serial killer in northern California taunts investigators & reporters with his cryptic letters in 'Zodiac', a thriller directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club). This madman was able to make his pursuers become involved to the point of absolute frustration. This film is methodical, entrancing, and a polished character piece on obsession. 2 hours in, I was still hooked. But just like the actual real life case, the movie stalls a bit near the end.
In 1969, a murder in San Francisco startles the nation & sets wild a spree of killings (over the next few years) by a self-named man, Zodiac. Homicide Detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), & crime reporter, Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) spend endless years trying to find the killer's identity. But it is obsessed editorial cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who ultimately makes the most accurate find. The grisly murders are highlighted throughout the 160 minutes. But the movie's focus is on the inwardly turbulent lives of these 4 men (stretching nearly 25 yrs. long).
These men conduct hundreds of wasteful interviews, wire phones, pour over sketch drawings, analyze handwriting samples, measure footprints & skim through piles of mile-high files. Years drudge by, hot leads disappear, suspects get cleared, etc. Who is the Zodiac!? Why does he live for media attention? Is there more than one? Is there any discernible pattern to the killings? Why is he killing seemingly random people? Day or night, why are his slaughters so brutal? Just when the perfect suspect rears head, Arthur Leigh Allen (a creepy John Carroll Lynch), some sketchy DNA negates the case once more. And so ... how could this movie about an unsolved murder investigation (with few murders, little evidence & no resolution) be satisfying? Here's how:
The way in which these 4 men approach the tedious investigation is subtly riveting for nearly 2 whole hours. Some of them turn to booze, some lose their minds, some change careers midway through, some lose their job, & some lose their family; all over this one never-ending case! All actors, including a small part by Brian Cox, are great here. But Mark Ruffalo's quiet, defeated cop resonates the most. The cinematography is eerily beautiful; haunting. The 70's set designs are superb. Dramatic tension blends with realistic dark humor in every newsroom and at every crime scene. Without many thrills, the film is still able to make us think AND creep us out when very little actually occurs. I know I ran from my car to the front door of my house, struggling to get my keys in the lock before the Zodiac would get me!
The run time may be problematic for some, but it actually wasn't for me. The 60/early 70's sections of the film are superb, but when the case stalls circa 1975, even some contrived dramatic moments in the last 40 min. couldn't subside the overwhelming emotional drain that we feel as an audience. The character's exhausting obsession reaches through the screen & grabs us (both positively & negatively as the film progresses). A fantastic director was able to make a pretty good movie, but it falls short of a masterpiece because of late-breaking stumbles & minor pacing issues. Most viewers will want more action & less nuance. Still, the story and topic of 'Zodiac' is entirely interesting, & it makes for a new hybrid form of the crime thriller genre; thumbs up.
In 1969, a murder in San Francisco startles the nation & sets wild a spree of killings (over the next few years) by a self-named man, Zodiac. Homicide Detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), & crime reporter, Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) spend endless years trying to find the killer's identity. But it is obsessed editorial cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who ultimately makes the most accurate find. The grisly murders are highlighted throughout the 160 minutes. But the movie's focus is on the inwardly turbulent lives of these 4 men (stretching nearly 25 yrs. long).
These men conduct hundreds of wasteful interviews, wire phones, pour over sketch drawings, analyze handwriting samples, measure footprints & skim through piles of mile-high files. Years drudge by, hot leads disappear, suspects get cleared, etc. Who is the Zodiac!? Why does he live for media attention? Is there more than one? Is there any discernible pattern to the killings? Why is he killing seemingly random people? Day or night, why are his slaughters so brutal? Just when the perfect suspect rears head, Arthur Leigh Allen (a creepy John Carroll Lynch), some sketchy DNA negates the case once more. And so ... how could this movie about an unsolved murder investigation (with few murders, little evidence & no resolution) be satisfying? Here's how:
The way in which these 4 men approach the tedious investigation is subtly riveting for nearly 2 whole hours. Some of them turn to booze, some lose their minds, some change careers midway through, some lose their job, & some lose their family; all over this one never-ending case! All actors, including a small part by Brian Cox, are great here. But Mark Ruffalo's quiet, defeated cop resonates the most. The cinematography is eerily beautiful; haunting. The 70's set designs are superb. Dramatic tension blends with realistic dark humor in every newsroom and at every crime scene. Without many thrills, the film is still able to make us think AND creep us out when very little actually occurs. I know I ran from my car to the front door of my house, struggling to get my keys in the lock before the Zodiac would get me!
The run time may be problematic for some, but it actually wasn't for me. The 60/early 70's sections of the film are superb, but when the case stalls circa 1975, even some contrived dramatic moments in the last 40 min. couldn't subside the overwhelming emotional drain that we feel as an audience. The character's exhausting obsession reaches through the screen & grabs us (both positively & negatively as the film progresses). A fantastic director was able to make a pretty good movie, but it falls short of a masterpiece because of late-breaking stumbles & minor pacing issues. Most viewers will want more action & less nuance. Still, the story and topic of 'Zodiac' is entirely interesting, & it makes for a new hybrid form of the crime thriller genre; thumbs up.