THE SYNOPSIS The San Francisco Bay Area, 1969. A rash of terrifying attacks on people (some ending in murder) has put the region on high alert. The serial killer calls himself Zodiac and pledges to kill again. He sends cryptic letters to Frisco’s major newspapers, demanding coverage. Maddeningly, these letters are sent in code and each one is incomplete. At the San Francisco Chronicle, young cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) takes in an interest in the budding case. He trades ideas with cynical, but crack reporter Paul Avery (Downey Jr.) and they eventually work in tandem with SFPD Inspectors Dave Toschi (Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Edwards). It seems that Zodiac likes wristwatches and Richard Connell’s classic story The Most Dangerous Game. The culprit also like killing people; including young couples, a cab driver and who knows how many others. As time goes on, Zodiac’s net of terror extends into other parts of California. Is it he or copycat killers? SFPD coordinates efforts with other towns and other cops, like Sgt. Jack Mulanax (Koteas) of the small town of Vallejo and Lt. Ken Narlow (Logue) of the Napa County Sheriff’s Department. These cops and areas (and several others) each carry a clue about Zodiac’s true identity. Our intrepid heroes zero in one potential suspect: child molester Arthur Leigh Allen (Lynch). The creepy guy sure fits the budding serial killer profile: white, 40s, single, disturbed—and wears a Zodiac-brand watch to boot… Handwriting evidence surveyed by expert Sherwood Morrill (Hall) all but eliminates the authorities’ interest in Allen. Yet, Graysmith and Avery are not so easily steered. The years go by as the 1970s matures, and Zodiac all but disappears—the occasional letter appears or some random murders carry his essence, but there are other cases and other crimes to be solved. Yet Robert continually strives to solve the Zodiac case, long after Toschi is pulled from the case and Armstrong transfers away. Even Avery has gone, drugged up and boozed down. Robert’s marriage to his second wife Melanie (Sevigny) is even suffering as his obsession carries him into the very heart of darkness. The time comes, years later, when Robert comes face to face with the suspected Zodiac killer. His subsequent 2 books on the case make it clear who he thought the killer really was… THE CRITIQUE ZODIAC is an instant masterpiece and will become a welcome new addition into the cinematic pantheon of brilliant crime-thrillers—e.g. Silence Of The Lambs (1991), The Conversation (1974), The Boston Strangler (1968) and classic noir movies like Laura (1944) & M (1931). Though the approximately $65-75,000,000 budgeted movie did not make much of a splash at the box-office ($33,000,000+ domestic), this movie will someday find its audience. Those who don’t see it on the big screen are missing out on some essential cinema. Their loss! Enough pontificating about the movie (for now). Since there’s so much I have to say about ZODIAC, I’ve broken down each aspect of the movie for easy reading—and why else would be here if you didn’t like reading my reviews? Exactly. So here goes: Acting Cast with a mix of leading actors and sprinkled with an abundance of character actors, the movie’s anchor points lie in their performances. The leads (Downey Jr., Ruffalo & Gyllenhaal) are terrific and their various interplays are crisp and realistic. Downey Jr. is brilliant as always, while the doe-eyed Gyllenhaal improves his acting M.O. (modus operandi) with each movie performance. The best of these leads, however, is Mark Ruffalo—who reminds me of a young, intense Chris Sarandon. His role as the true-life Inspector Dave Toschi is a triumph. For the record, the real Toschi was the inspiration for both Steve McQueen’s electrifying character in Bullitt (1968) and (though rumored), Clint Eastwood’s immortal Inspector Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry (1971)—which was influenced by the Zodiac murders occurring during the same time period. Freaky, huh? Other cast members that stand out include stalwart thespians Chloë Sevigny (as the stoic 2nd Mrs. Graysmith), Anthony Edwards, Phillip Baker Hall, Brian Cox (always a pleasure to watch), Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, Zach Grenier, Dermot Mulroney and the talented Charles Fleischer (as a creepy cinemaphile) are all solid across the board. I must also mention terrific character actor John Carroll Lynch as possible Zodiac killer Arthur Leigh Allen. His role as a rather creepy suspect just goes to show that the evil in men’s hearts be not limited to serial killers who don hockey masks or wear bladed gloves. Lynch’s personification is a long way from the benevolent transvestite that he played on The Drew Carey Show, that’s for sure. Direction When you think of director David Fincher, dark, anarchic images come to mind. After all, Fincher is the purveyor of such dark neo-classics as Se7en (1995), The Game (1997) and Fight Club (1999). And when I mean dark, I mean not only in the metaphorical sense, but in cinematographical terms as well. His movies are just dark, dammit! ZODIAC, however, represents a shift in Fincher’s directorial modus operandi. With age comes maturity—and (hopefully) wisdom. This movie should represent his maturity as a filmmaker (and yes, dare I say it—an auteur), as this is his most personal movie to date. Fincher himself has indicated that the movie’s subject matter is close to his heart, because he spent his formative years in Marin County, CA—which abuts the metropolis of San Francisco—and yes…during the Zodiac murder spree. It was a scary time that never left him; so making this movie is something of a psychological release of sorts. Enough psychobabble! The point being, that Fincher presents us with a movie that relies more on facts, figures and good old-fashioned frights. Given the subject matter, I’m really not surprised that Fincher went for a classical directing style, along the lines of someone like Otto Preminger or Fritz Lang. Even the late, great Don Siegel’s helming style comes to mind (he, of course, directed the classic Dirty Harry—which has a running motif throughout ZODIAC). Fincher, you da man!!! Screenplay The taut screenplay was written by up-and-comer James Vanderbilt (The Rundown/Basic/Darkness Falls) and is naturally based on author Robert Graysmith’s popular 2 books, Zodiac & Zodiac Unmasked: The identity Of America’s Most Elusive Serial Killer Revealed. Though structured around actual events and characters, Vanderbilt (with Fincher in tandem) manages to keep us riveted with a crime-thriller screenplay that easily topples over at 180+ pages. That’s no easy feat in today’s ADD-riddled, mass consumption—give it me now or I’ll explode!—society. An interesting theme that runs throughout the movie is the allusion to Richard Connell’s excellent short story The Most Dangerous Game (1924)—for those of you who didn’t read it in high school, it’s about a guy who’s stranded on a tropical island and hunted by a madman rich guy who kills people for sport. Its connection to ZODIAC is that the real killer used the story as inspiration. Note to readers: creepy factor has just been upgraded! Cinematography As previously discussed in some of my other reviews, the growing use of modern HD formats to make movies—and notice I didn’t say films—has filled me with a continuing sense of disdain for video (albeit hi-def). Movies have always been shot on film—hence the generic term films; however, the use of the word film in cinematic nomenclature also implies a movie of highly artistic merit. I could go on and on with the film school babble—but I’ll cut to the chase. What we have here in ZODIAC is a movie that’s both an HD-video motion picture and a film. Always the progressive filmmaker, David Fincher has always experimented with different methods of capturing images for his projects—whether they be commercial, music video or movie. And he’s not alone—with heavy-hitters such as James Cameron, George Lucas, Robert Rodriguez, Bryan Singer and several others leading the HD-video bandwagon. Now, there have been other HD-video motion pictures produced in the very recent past (Superman Returns, Sin City and Star Wars Episodes II & III come to mind). What makes ZODIAC unique is that it is the first major Hollywood movie to incorporate a tapeless workflow into the mix—where images are recorded (via Thomson VIPER FilmStream Cameras) directly into nice fat hard drives as opposed to shooting images onto film stock or videotape. This is unprecedented! If you like to read more about it, check out Videography© Magazine’s awesome article on the entire process here and here. Anyway, let’s move on to the crux of this section! Working in tandem with director David Fincher, NYC-native cinematographer Harris Savides (Birth/The Game/Heaven’s Prisoners/Michael Jackson’s highly-lauded music video Scream) furnishes us with a handsome, widescreen canvas depicting the 1960s-70s Frisco/Bay Area steeped under a blanket of terror and paranoia. What I really loved about ZODIAC’s look is the meticulous attention to detail in regard to photographic terms. The use of filters to the movie a nostalgic, sepia-esque sheen is brilliant. Tacky colors, dated clothes and sideburns run amok! Though the 1970’s (naturally) did not look so stylish in reality, it almost felt that way. I remember the greens, the browns (especially in ugly wall paneling), the golden hues, etc. Savides’ lensing evokes a very specific time in our history—and more importantly, times that many of us can relate to. And yes, though shot on HD, the movie looked terrific! One exception is the opening sequence, which looked rather muddy and grainy. Other than that, I’m happy! Editing Clocking in at almost 3 hours, I can honestly say that I was bored not once. Credit up-and-coming editor Angus Wall (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button/Hostage/Panic Room)—whose taut cutting helps Fincher maintain a crisp pace. It has been said that editing is the “invisible art” in filmmaking. ZODIAC’s editing is perfect example. As a final coda: the movie was edited using Apple’s versatile editing system, Final Cut Pro (which yours truly also uses!). Production Design/Locations Exhibiting a nostalgic (read: realistic) mise-en-scène that reeks of tacky 1970’s décor, fashion, hairstyles and vintage machinery/automobiles/appliances/etc., ZODIAC hits the mark in fabricating a not-too-distant-past—though one that, once again, many of us older folks can totally relate to. Credit veteran Production Designer Donald Graham Burt (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button /White Oleander/Donnie Brasco) for a job damned well done! For the record, ZODIAC was shot in locations around California that included the municipalities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Downey, Vallejo & Walnut. Soundtrack/Score Combining a good, thoughtful score by veteran, Oscar©-winning composer David Shire (he won Best Song for 1979’s Norma Rae; also composed music for Saturday Night Fever) and sprinkled with ‘60s & ‘70s nuggets by Donovan, Vanilla Fudge, Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis, the movie’s soundtrack accentuates the on-screen proceedings in complimentary fashion. 1968’s Hurdy Gurdy Man (by Scottish singer/songwriter Donovan) is used twice in the movie for effect. What was once an anthem for the ‘60s hippies & beatniks morphs (here) into a rather creepy harbinger of death. A good choice of theme music. VFX and Everything Else With FX houses like Digital Domain (200+ FX shots), Lola Visual Effects and Matte World Digital working behind the scenes, it can be said that the FX in ZODIAC are well-rendered without being too obvious. Aside from blood FX and location recreations, ZODIAC’s VFX highlight comes midway through the movie when, in a stunning FX-based montage, we are front-and-center at the building of the iconic Frisco landmark, the TransAmerica Tower. Using VFX-based time-lapse photography, we witness the genesis of a modern skyscraper that represents both a narrative passage of time (1969-1972—the years that the 853-ft. TA Building was built) and a symbol of the future of a city—knee deep in earthquake history and now, serial killer terror. It’s a powerful sequence and a perfect segue into the final Act of the movie. So, does it sound like I really dug ZODIAC? Hell yes! I really don’t have any complaints about this movie. A second, subsequent viewing might necessitate editorial changes—but I find that prospect to be highly unlikely. THE BOTTOM LINE ZODIAC is a superior crime-thriller featuring an excellent cast, cinematic-looking HD lensing, smart screenplay, realistic mise-en-scène and a helmer who excels at tightening the screws. An instant classic that will be studied for years to come—further enhanced by the fact that the title character was never caught in real life. Creepy yet fascinating. See it. Now. CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey, Jr., Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Candy Clark, John Getz Philip Baker Hall, Zach Grenier, Adam Goldberg, James LeGros, Clea Duvall, Charles Fleischer & Ione Skye (uncredited) CREDITS: Director: David Fincher; Screenwriter: James Vanderbilt, based on the books by Robert Graysmith; Producers: Cean Chaffin, Brad Fischer, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer & James Vanderbilt; Director of Photography: Harris Savides; Production Designer: Donald Graham Burt; Editor: Angus Wall; Costume Designer: Casey Storm; Music: David Shire AC/AL/SV 2007 158m ENGLISH http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_directorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_videohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_videohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_videohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_videohttp://www.moonstarfilmreviews.com/supermanreturns.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Viper#Thomson_Viperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_stockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videotapehttp://www.videography.com/articles/article_14691.shtmlhttp://www.videography.com/articles/article_14970.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_directorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widescreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_filterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_videohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing#Film_editorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing#Film_editinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing#Film_editinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editing#Film_editinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Cut_Prohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_sc%C3%A8nehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_designerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filming_locationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_scorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack#Movie_and_television_soundtrackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transamerica_Pyramidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-lapsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transamerica_Pyramidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_sc%C3%A8nehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_directorshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13shapeimage_2_link_14shapeimage_2_link_15shapeimage_2_link_16shapeimage_2_link_17shapeimage_2_link_18shapeimage_2_link_19shapeimage_2_link_20shapeimage_2_link_21shapeimage_2_link_22shapeimage_2_link_23shapeimage_2_link_24shapeimage_2_link_25shapeimage_2_link_26shapeimage_2_link_27shapeimage_2_link_28shapeimage_2_link_29shapeimage_2_link_30shapeimage_2_link_31shapeimage_2_link_32shapeimage_2_link_33shapeimage_2_link_34shapeimage_2_link_35shapeimage_2_link_36shapeimage_2_link_37shapeimage_2_link_38shapeimage_2_link_39shapeimage_2_link_40shapeimage_2_link_41shapeimage_2_link_42shapeimage_2_link_43shapeimage_2_link_44shapeimage_2_link_45shapeimage_2_link_46shapeimage_2_link_47