What a crime!

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2007)

Sometimes it's not the end result that is thrilling, but the road there, and through the skillful eye of David Fincher, the investigation of the Zodiac murders is indeed a very twisted and challenging one. Through the obsessive perspective of our main character, the only way to solve this mystery is to dive in, without any concern for personal safety.
Little by little, he discovers that there are too many loose ends, and that inexplicably, the police officers are not able to pin down the main suspect. By the end of the film, we still don't quite understand what happened. There is enough tension to expose a few people to danger, particularly our cartoonist/investigator, and to realize that there is more than one party to blame.
The film is intriguing because it is an expose of an investigation that didn't work and led to a series of murders that could have been prevented. It is also fascinating because it shows how police departments and newspapers ethics worked in a not so distant era. There are many implications that are touched upon but not developed, and much of the appeal of the film is that it takes us back to Hollywood's golden age in the 70's, a time when directors took their times developing a character, creating an atmosphere, and presenting terrific acting. The cast is excellent, with Raffalo, Gyllenthal, and Soveigny doing superb work, and Downey, Jr. once again shining, with his portrayal of another lost soul.
It is hard not to go back and look at the production here, and I certainly hope that the careful work by the entire team is recognized later in the year. This film is remarkable because it proves that anything done with care will result in a quality production. A lot of care went into the cinematography, art direction, costume design, and music score, to bring back an era, and to be as truthful as possible to its source material.
Last, but not in anyway least important, is the storyline of this series of murders that terrified a nation, and how smoothly it blends with our contemporary fascination with unnecessary violence in films. The film pulls this off because it has simmered slowly to the point that we really care about what happens to the protagonists. It never relies on cheap jolts and unnecessary bloodshed, but the effect is still a bit voyeuristic, except that this time we really "know" how we got to this point. There are a couple of scenes that recall moments in "Silence of the Lambs", when the sense of doom becomes oppressive and we can't help wondering if it was all for nothing. We all want a happy ending, and this time, in a very ironic way, we got a real one that leaves with a satisfied look in our faces.