Review #725: 'Zodiac' (2007)

You would be forgiven if you went into David Fincher's Zodiac expecting a routine serial killer flick, but, although it opens with two memorably brutal murders, it puts aside character and plot to simply document the case of the Zodiac killer in the late 1960's and into the early 70's. The problem is, he was never caught, so Zodiac draws you into the jigsaw puzzle that was the search for the killer, only to be frequently met with dead ends and red herrings. The three lead characters come and go throughout the film, but this is not about them, it's ultimately about the fear that gripped San Francisco when the Zodiac was on the prowl.

At the San Francisco Chronicle, a letter arrives from someone claiming to be the Zodiac killer, who has already shot a young couple in their car. The letter demands publication, and offers a puzzle involving strange symbols as a means of uncovering his identity. This draws in Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who, despite his interest, is not taken seriously by the staff, who include crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). The Zodiac strikes again, attacking a couple in a park and shooting a taxi driver in the back of the head. Police detectives David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are brought in to investigate, and liaise with Avery and Graysmith, whose lives start to be consumed by the case.

Fincher is obviously comfortable in this setting, having already brought to life the eternally drizzly and grim world of Se7en (1995) and the miserable confines of modern corporate life in Fight Club (1999). Zodiac is a mixture of both, here filmed digitally, and here combines a grimy brown colour palette with Fincher's recognisable eye for the stylish. It takes pride in its detail, grinding out excitement within the most mundane of activities. In Zodiac, a close-up of handwriting or the discovery of a previously ignored newspaper clipping become just as tense as any action scene. After all, this is a film about the case, so such close observation is as vital as it is entertaining.

The acting is top class across the board, with Mark Ruffalo, a character actor who has gone underrated for far too long, standing out in the least showy role of the lead trio. Downey Jr. brings his natural charisma to the boozy, erratic Avery, and Gyllenhaal, given the most screen-time (his character wrote the book the film is based on) is a likeable underdog. The characters aren't given much time to breathe between the fast-talk conversations and the digging for clues, but its the Zodiac himself that looms largest over the film. He is barely seen outside of the opening half hour, but his presence is never far away in Fincher's nervous San Francisco. And there lies the film's genius. Impeccably directed, brilliantly written, and utterly terrifying.


Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Elias Koteas, Brian Cox
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie