'Zodiac' a meticulous diary of unsolved murder mysteries

Rating: 7/10 (28 February 2007)

Between 1966 and 1974, the so-called Zodiac Killer terrified residents of San Francisco (even the villain in the film Dirty Harry was a version of this individual). And while many theories abound as to the killer's identity, so far (like the Black Dahlia, Jack the Ripper and the Jimmy Hoffa case) remains unsolved to this very day.
Based on the actual case files of one of the most intriguing unsolved crimes in the nation's history, "Zodiac" is a thriller from David Fincher, who cut his teeth on the genre. As a serial killer terrifies the San Francisco Bay Area and taunts police with his ciphers and letters, investigators in four jurisdictions search for the murderer. The case will become an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are built and destroyed by the endless trail of clues.
These clues include letters to the "Los Angeles Times," like the following, written in 1974:
"Like I have always (sic) said, I am crack proof. If the Blue Meannies are ever going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses and do something. Because the longer they fiddle and fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my afterlife. I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my Riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones. There are a hell of a lot more down there. The reason I'm writing to the Times is this: They don't bury me on the back pages like some of the others."
Film stars Anthony Edwards ("ER") and Mark Ruffalo ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "All the King's Men") as police inspectors trying to solve the case; while Jake Gyllenhaal ("Jarhead," "Brokeback Mountain") plays author Robert Graysmith, and Robert Downey, Jr. ("Chaplin," "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") is newspaper reporter Paul Avery, with whom the murderer seems to have a special connection to.
At two hours and 40 minutes, one could easily be bored to distraction, but under the direction of Fincher ("Fight Club," "Se7en") the film moves along at a nice click. Sure, a few minutes here and there could have been shaved a bit, but for those who have followed this case, or know something about California serial killings, the deliberate and meticulous development is well worth it.
And while Gyllenhaal is the big name of the cast, actually his role is very much secondary; as Ruffalo and especially Downey, Jr. stand out on all fronts. Be prepared for some shockingly realistic murder scenes, along with painstaking period detail (one of my pet peeves is to see a film that's supposed to take place in 1972 and the clothing and hairstyles are from a later date). "Zodiac," like the recent "We Are Marshall" certainly does not cheat in this department.