Darkness visible

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2009)

The final instalment in Fincher's epic dark trilogy showing the decline and fall of civilisation that began with Se7en differs in that it is not a work of fiction but is based on the true life events surrounding the Zodiac killer, who hunted his victims in and around San Francisco throughout the 70s.
The movie opens in 1969 on the 4th of July with a stunning panoramic shot of fireworks over the city - an unforgettable image. Fincher's movie is based largely on the book by Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle who became obsessed with the case and ended up writing a book about it.
Zodiac does a fantastic job of conveying the frustrating and exhaustive nature of the investigation, which spans almost two decades during the course of the film and remains open to this day.
Unlike the fantasy world of TV shows like CSI, many cases of this nature are never solved or may take decades to close.
Fincher takes us on this journey and we watch as the principle players in the Zodiac drama are forever altered by the case.
The players are uniformly superb, in particular Jake Gyllenhal as Graysmith and Robert Downey Jr as Paul Avery, the crime reporter who covers the Zodiac case for the Chronicle.
John Carroll Lynch gives an amazing portrayal of Robert Leigh Allen, the man Graysmith believes to be the killer.
Art production to deliver a convincing 70s San Francisco is of the highest standard and the film is beautifully shot (look out for the recurring blue and yellow themes).
Zodiac shows Fincher at the height of his considerable powers as a visual stylist and story-teller.