Convincing crafted and engaging even if it does require patience from the viewer due to the nature of the material

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2007)

Several people have already been murdered by the time a series of letters are sent out to San Francisco newspapers from someone calling himself The Zodiac, claiming responsibility and providing details to prove it. Providing a series of ciphers with clues to his identity, Zodiac taunts the police with more letters and murders. On one paper introvert cartoonist Robert Graysmith and journalist Paul Avery start their own investigation, overlapping with police inspectors Toschi and Armstrong. Weeks become months become years and the periodic killings and letters continue while the investigations continues to be one inconclusive lead after another.
It is understandable perhaps that this film did not do that well in the US because it is not an easy sell to audiences who are used to serial killer movies going a certain way most of the time. It probably didn't help that Se7en was mentioned in almost every review of Zodiac because the two are very different despite sharing the serial killer theme. Zodiac is not quite as good as Se7en although it is close, but the challenge is the way it is a good film because it is a much less obvious product. The story covers decades and lacks an ending that "traditional" serial killer movies normally have  the difficulties in delivery are obvious and it is to the film's credit that it still manages to be interesting and engaging.
The script is not perfect and I did think it could have more in the way of layering and less of some other things but the most impressive thing about it is how well it flows forward and hangs together. The captions vary from "three hours later" to "one year later" but even with the constant jumps in time, it still works well and never feels fragmented or like we're missing something in the jumps. The script develops the case well and manages to bring out a realistic feel that is refreshingly downbeat and different from other cop thrillers and in doing this it is engaging but, and I stress the but, it does require patience. It is slow and the strength is in the detail rather than a fast-paced, exciting thriller plot, which I found rewarding and interesting but I can also understand why many viewers turned away from it for the same reason. It doesn't feel like 160 minutes very often and there are only a few aspects that I felt could have been removed totally (Graysmith's wife is a character that could and should have been lost to "artistic license").
With a solid script in place a lot does rest on the delivery to make it more than an "OK" story. Fincher's direction is as strong as one would expect. He matches the material with a realistic eye and when he does use special effects they are well done and befitting the tone of the film. He excels at some points, producing murders are truly horrific and haunting. He draws strong performances from almost the entire cast, although it is Gyllenhaal who tends to dominate the film with an assured performance that subtly builds from geeky fascination to one nearing obsession. He is well supported by a typically solid Ruffalo who nicely moves his character from a working detective to a man broken and tired by the whole thing. Edwards was a surprise find and was good support but, while I enjoyed his presence, I did think that Downey Jr pushed his performance a bit too hard as it clashed with the more downbeat characters played by the others. Sevingy is handed a difficult character and can't make it work within the film, even if there is nothing wrong with what she does. Koteas, Cox, Terry and others provide good minor turns while Lynch is quite chilling as one of the possible suspects.
Overall then, an interesting and convincing account of the failed investigation into the Zodiac killer. The challenges are obvious but are mostly overcome thanks to a strong all-round delivery but it is worth noting that it will have no traditional climax and does require patience from the viewer.