unresolved

Rating: 5/10 (14 June 2007)

This is a movie based on a book about a series of crimes for which the perpetrator was never brought to justice. A cartoonist on a regional newspaper becomes obsessed with the case, to the detriment of aspects of his domestic life. Nothing is resolved. No easy answers.
This is an interesting attempt by Fincher and his team to do something a little different in terms of mainstream thriller fare. And, episode by episode, the story is well-told and superbly acted - some of the very best of Hollywood's character actors are on hand, led by the perpetually excellent Jake Gyllenhaal.
The trouble is, if nothing is resolved for the story's characters, then nothing is going to be resolved for the audience. Whether you think it's a good thing to be left with the same feeling of frustration as the protagonists will determine your enjoyment.
Personally, I'm not sympathetic to works of art that point out, however tactfully, that they are fiction while at the same time doing everything possible to present "real life" on screen - no one in ZODIAC looks at the camera and says "Hey you out there, it's only a movie!" I only wish they had. It might have lifted the air of portentousness that hovers over too much of this project.