David Fincher, director of SEVEN and PANIC ROOM, adapts Robert Graysmith's books on the notorious unsolved case of the Zodiac killer who plagued Northern California in the 1960s and 1970s. The straight-forward procedural focuses first on the police investigation into the crimes and then how Graysmith, a cartoonist at the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, took it upon himself to hunt down the killer when the case went cold.
The film begins with one of the Zodiac's killings and sets the unease tone of the entire film. Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN) is a young cartoonist at the time and floats around Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr., WONDER BOYS) as the lead reporter investigates the murders. Graysmith is very interested in the Zodiac's cryptic messages, which he helps give Avery some incite into. So as Avery pokes his nose into the case, detectives David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME) and William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards, TV's E.R.) begin their investigation.
The story tensely follows each twist and turn as the Zodiac taunts the police and the investigators have a chore coordinating the case with the other jurisdictions as well as sifting through all the false leads and copycat pranksters. Once the case goes cold, Graysmith begins to delve into it, receiving covert help from detective Toschi and Sgt. Jack Mulanax (Elias Koteas, THE THIN RED LINE). Graysmith becomes so obsessed with finding the killer that he alienates himself from his wife Melanie (Chloe Sevigny, SHATTERED GLASS). The cast also includes: Brian Cox (THE 25TH HOUR) as Melvin Belli, a lawyer the Zodiac contacted; John Carroll Lynch (FARGO) as one of the Zodiac suspects; Dermot Mulroney (ABOUT SCHMIDT) as Capt. Marty Lee; Donal Logue (TV's GROUNDED FOR LIFE) as police detective Ken Narlow; Philip Baker Hall (MAGNOLIA) as handwriting expert Sherwood Morrill; and Clea DuVall (13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING) as witness Linda Ferrin.
Fincher does excellent work in setting the period tone and holding our tension for a story that takes decades to unfold. I was particularly struck by the way he filmed two of the murders, especially the one at the lake. The use of close-ups on the victims creates an excruciating amount of tension, which connects us more to the victims' fear then the thrill of the killer's bloody actions.
James Vanderbilt's adaptation of Graysmith's books is remarkable in how he is able to present a protagonist — Graysmith — that is not really an active participant in the plot until more than half way through the film. He injects Graysmith at just the right moments in the beginning to have us anticipating his participation in the case, because we feel that he is key to finding the answers. It's a great way of balancing the truth of what really happened with the dramatic needs of the narrative. In a way it reminded me of the way THE INSIDER unfolded moving from the Russell Crowe character to Al Pacino midway. The film also wonderfully captures the scale of the case and how amazing it is that any random murder ever gets solved.
The only thing I found missing from this well crafted picture was an underlying theme. The story is strictly about solving the crime. It doesn't look for any grander meaning, which is fine and never hurts the film, but it robs it of taking on a universal level outside of just presenting the facts of this particular case.
Nonetheless, I was captivated by the story and involved the whole 158 minutes. It's a great example of telling a large-scale story without losing momentum. The story builds and builds and then takes off like a rocket once Graysmith starts his investigation. His obsession has now become ours and we want to find out who the Zodiac is as much as he does. This well-crafted and perfectly paced true-life thriller is one of the better serial killer films in some time.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
