Too Long, No Suspense

Rating: 2/10 (1 March 2007)

Right up until the release of Panic Room, David Fincher could do no wrong. It's truly all over now.
I went to a radio station screening of the movie yesterday, and I was utterly disappointed. Most people know the story of the Zodiac, so a lot of the suspense would be gone. But a good movie about a serial killer needs suspense. The movie starts off brilliantly, focusing on writer Paul Avery's downward decent of obsession with the story and the revelation of the identity of the killer. Robert Downey Jr's portrayal is stunning, and he builds much empathy for the character. The story moves along at a brisk pace, and it keeps you entertained.
Then when you think the movie is over, it just keeps going. It tells the story of the decent of Robert Graysmith, retreading a similar storyline for another hour plus. Jake Gyllenhaal does a decent job, but the audience quickly loses interest. The movie keeps track of time by announcing the time lapse between scenes (2 months later, for example) and as the movie passes the two hour mark you could hear the audience groan every time a new announcement of time was displayed.
Why is this a bad movie? The photography, set dressing, and costuming was top notch. The cast was brilliant. Even the story is compelling, but the editing by Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall seems to be missing. I think Fincher used every frame he shot in the final cut, and that does this movie a terrible disservice. When telling a story you have to read your audience, and make sure they stayed engaged. This movie loses you at 1:50. I hardly ever tell people to stay away from a movie, but I'm telling you to stay away from Zodiac. It will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.