Captivating, In-Depth Look At The Zodiac Investigation.

Rating: 10/10 (7 August 2007)

"Zodiac", based on the book by Robert Graysmith (and also based on the real-life killing spree), centers around the city of San Francisco. Beginning on July 4th, 1969, a young couple are shot to death in their car, the man surviving. This series of random, brutal slayings continues throughout the 1970s, and the daunting killer sends letters and codes to local newspapers and police, calling himself the 'Zodiac'. As murders occur in both Northern and Southern California, the Zodiac has the entire state living in fear. A cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), slowly becomes obsessed with the case, and devotes his entire life to catching the killer, while his colleagues, Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.), his wife Melanie (Chloe Sevigny), and others look on.
Quite possibly the best crime-thriller I've encountered since "The Silence of the Lambs", "Zodiac" is a truly amazing motion picture. I was held captive in this film's spell from the grisly opening scene, and couldn't keep away from the screen for the following two and a half hours, so that tells me this movie did something right. Based on the real-life killings, this film is also based upon the book by Robert Graysmith, which chronicled his actual experiences in the Zodiac case, and the film is told through his eyes as well. My knowledge of the actual Zodiac case itself is rather sketchy, and I'm only familiar with some details, but from what I know, this is a very accurate telling of the murders and the investigation, and I was happy with that, because it seems most true-crime films twist, remove, and add things a bit for storytelling purposes. Luckily, this movie works well and is much scarier because it tells things closely to how they happened (and not to mention through the eyes of someone who was involved in the investigation).
David Fincher (who is responsible for "Fight Club", a favorite of mine, among others) directs this film, and I can't say there is a better choice. His direction is stylish, and the cinematography, like in all his films, is stunning. Great angles, good editing, and some really nicely done insertions of code cipherings in a particular sequence really stand out. This isn't a horror movie, it's a dramatic crime thriller, but the suspense and tension is magnificently mounted and it builds and builds as the movie flows toward its conclusion. It's a rather lengthy film, spanning a little over two and a half hours, but I was surprised at how quickly everything seemed to go by. It felt more like your average hour and forty-five minute movie, so that also tells me that the script is tight and doesn't lose its audience's interest easily. Even the investigation work (which is what the majority of this film consists of) is interesting, which may come as a surprise, because one would probably think that it would be yawn-some, but it's not. I found myself thinking about this movie long after I'd watched it, and the mystique of the entire case and the particular storytelling here is all really intriguing. Not to mention those disturbing and realistic murder sequences featured in the film, which I found to be extremely chilling because of how real they felt. The killer is brought to the screen in a realistic manner in this movie, and he's not some silent, unstoppable force of evil, like some slasher film villain. He has a real, earthly quality about him in this film, and I think for that, his character is even scarier.
The cast is amazing here, everyone in this film gave stunning performances. Jake Gyllenhaal leads the cast as our protagonist, and is excellent. He's followed by Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., who both turn in solid performances as well (Ruffalo plays the police chief to a T, and Downey Jr. is good for a few laughs, but also seriousness). Chloe Sevigny plays Gyllenhaal's wife, Melanie, and is also very good here, even though she's not introduced until midway through the film. A few others you may recognize include Dermot Mulroney, Phillip Baker Hall (who starred in the 2005 film "The Zodiac", about the same topic), Clea DuVall, and James LeGros, all who do great jobs. The film's conclusion leans toward one plausible theory of the Zodiac's identity, but also has a good sense of ambiguity to keep things mysterious. To this day, the Zodiac killer has still never been caught. But, according to Graysmith, the identity of the killer is obvious, judging from his investigation.
Overall, "Zodiac" is a suspenseful and unsettling crime-thriller that cannot be missed, especially by those who find interest in the Zodiac case, or anyone who has read Graysmith's novel. This is a captivating and shuddering look at the Zodiac killer and the investigation to reveal his identity. This is surely the best film that I have yet to see about these events, the others will simply pale in comparison. Throw in some top-notch direction & cinematography, solid suspense, and great acting, all fastened together by a wonderful script, and you've got what I consider one of the best true-crime suspense thrillers in years. 10/10.