A relevant thriller about the nature of fear.

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2007)

The Zodiac murders remain today one of California's most famous unsolved crimes. David Fincher has given us something quite special here. From the outset, attention to detail is mesmerizing, making multiple viewings a must for full appreciation. The filmmakers were deeply fascinated with the events spawned by some seemingly unmotivated killings north of the Bay Area, that with the help of the media, eventually brought a crippling fear across the entire state. The story is told from the perspective of the media covering the events (who received penned letters and cyphers from someone claiming to be the killer), a cop trying to catch the perpetrator, and an artist trying to make sense of it all. Various scenes take us on a ill-fated date on Lover's Lane, to an on-call cop in the middle of the night trying to comprehend a murder scene, a newsroom where editors debate ethics and business, and a lonely apartment filled with boxes of documents that may hide an answer to a terrible mystery. Fear should be confronted, and likewise this film should be viewed.