Zodiac

By: Andrew Moran

4 Stars out of 5 Stars

Starring (Alphabetical Order): Brian Cox, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Carroll Lynch, Mark Ruffalo & Chloe Sevigny

A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970's case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith's book, the movie's focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.

Zodiac is indeed the first good film of 2007, with other disastrous pictures like ‘Ghost Rider’ or ‘Wild Hogs’ or even ‘23’.  David Fincher (Se7en & Fight Club) really makes this a dark gritty ‘whodunit’ film with no real conclusion about the killer, however there are some hints throughout the picture.  The exterior scenes of San Francisco make great use of the vibrant dark colors in the night scenes, sort of like an Alfred Hitchcock film such as ‘Vertigo’, also the glowing pastels during the day. The interiors capture the maze-like process the detectives and reporters must navigate.  The Director, David Fincher, is a unique director and an icon among the ‘independent filmmaking’ world.

The film’s acting had many great and or proven actors with strong performances, from the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain & The Day After Tomorrow), Robert Downey Jr. (Natural Born Killers & The Singing Detective) and even Brian Cox (Bourne Identity & Running With Scissors).  The only problem with the film’s actors was the fact that they should have looked more into Robert Downey Jr.’ character (without going into too much detail, his character had a lot of clues and or hints).

In addition to Fincher, the lead actors and extensive (and well known) supporting cast Zodiac producers assembled a credible team. James Vanderbilt (Screenplay), David Shire (Score), Donald Burt (Production Design), Keith Cunningham (Art Direction), Victor Zolfo (Set Direction) and Casey Storm (Costume Design) all deliver quality work in their respective areas. There are no weak spots in this film. Zodiac may not (or attempt to) dazzle, but it does please.

In conclusion this will be one of the very few good Crime Thrillers this year.  And the only really good picture until springtime.