To Catch A Killer

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2008)

In the late sixties, California is rocked by a serial killer who apparently embarked on an elaborate process of communication, using codes and cyphers to tease and taunt all those involved in either investigating or reporting the killer's alleged crimes. As time passes, the Zodiac case has a profound impact on a detective, a journalist and a newspaper cartoonist.
Based on an allegedly true story, Fincher chooses to offer up a sprawling and episodic 'reconstruction-style' account of the case over a number of years, switching emphasis from one character to the next as all attempts to crack the case and reveal the truth are thwarted again and again. With harrowing depictions of the serial killer's crimes, and a meticulous attention to period detail, 'Zodiac' often reminds of Richard Fleischer's 'The Boston Strangler' (1968), and certainly the obsessive determination of police and journalists alike, and the challenges of investigating a crime across state and county jurisdictions are brilliantly realised.
However, at over 158 minutes, Fincher's narrative, and the performances of his lead actors frequently fail to keep the viewer engaged - Ruffalo is a challenging actor to watch, and pairing him with Edwards as the two primary detectives assigned to the case brings this into stark relief. Edwards is a natural and unassuming performer, whilst Ruffalo 'acts' at all times, delivering his lines in the same, soft, mumbling and frequently unintelligible voice he uses in most of his films. This style works brilliantly in, say, Kenneth Lonergan's 'You Can Count On Me' (2000), but here, as so much verbal information being given to the viewer is key, we are often left wondering what was said. The same applies (although to a lesser extent) to Downey Jnr, whose investigative journalist is usually speaking from behind a cigarette clamped between his teeth. All very realistic, given all are playing 'real people', but pointless if the script cannot be heard or understood, especially as every actor seems to be battling against intrusive incidental sound effects such as type-writers, telephones or traffic. Gyllenhaal fares better as the geekish, and apparently not very good newspaper cartoonist who is gradually drawn into the investigation to the point of obsession, while Sevigny is quite captivating in the minor role of Gyllenhaal's girlfriend/wife.
In the end, whilst 'Zodiac' is a fascinating and clever exploration of a real crime and its consequences in 60s and 70s America, it's hardly the gripping thriller it was marketed as, and given that we are being asked to follow and digest over two and a half hours of information relating to the investigation, holding the viewer at the mercy of actors who 'method mumble' whilst imparting this information is unforgivable.