by Brett Parker
“There’s more than one way to lose your life to a killer” So reads the tagline for David Fincher’s Zodiac. By the end of this 2 hour and 40 minute film, you’ll believe it. The film is not so much about a serial killer but about the men who search desperately for him. Instead of a grisly thrill-fest focused on the psychological workings of a serial killer, we have a dialogue-heavy character study about the heartbreak and insanity that comes with the hunt for a murderer.
As the film opens, we see a couple parked in a car on a lover’s lane. They are approached by a man with a giant flashlight and a gun. The man opens fire, killing the girl and horribly wounding the boy. Soon after, a letter arrives at the San Francisco Chronicle that claims to be from the killer himself. He calls himself the Zodiac and presents coded messages that reveal how much he enjoys killing people. This grabs the attention of both Paul Avery (Robert Downey, JR.), a crime reporter for the paper, and Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhal), a political cartoonist. Pretty soon, more victims pile up, more letters arrive, and less is known about the killer himself. This only fuels Avery and Graysmith’s obsession with the killings, leading them to interact with Homicide Inspectors David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards).
As the years progress, the search for the Zodiac grows complicated and maddening. More letters arrive. Hundreds of
Fincher, the dark auteur behind Seven and Fight Club, focuses all the attention on these characters to show how frustrating and draining the search for the Zodiac truly was. As a result, watching this film can feel frustrating and draining at times. The film spans from the early 70s to the early 90s and follows every tedious clue the case had to offer. People walking in to find Seven will instead find a film that is more along the lines of All the President’s Men, in which all of the tension, drama, and build-up is in the dialogue. By the time Graysmith settles on an elaborate theory that may help to identify the killer, we feel as tired and stirred-up as he is.
Yet this doesn’t stop Zodiac from being an engaging thriller. Fincher shows great skill behind the camera, using his oozing-dark cinematography to flesh out a realistic 70s atmosphere. The film also showcases very skilled performances. Ruffalo and Edwards perfectly handle the detective roles with the conviction and emotions they demand. Robert Downey, JR. is dazzling as always in the Avery role, yet a lack of screen time doesn’t do full justice to the character. The best performance in the film comes from Gyllenhal, who starts off with his usual boyish charm then descends into the frantic, obsessive nature his role demands. Gyllenhal grabs our attention and makes us feel the character’s every tic and feeling. My favorite moment is when he comes face-to-face with the man he comes to believe is the killer himself. The look on Graysmith’s face says so much with nothing being said at all.
Be warned: Zodiac is long, trying, and wordy. Yet if you’re as fascinated by the Zodiac case as the main characters are, you’ll find the film gripping, dramatic, and heartbreaking. I suppose this is as honest and skilled a movie one could possibly make about the notorious killer. The Zodiac once wrote in one of his letters that he hopes a good movie will be made about him someday. Well Mr. Zodiac, here it is.
Zodiac was released on DVD July 24th
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