Well crafted Zodiac a suspenseful search.

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2008)

Films based in fact often play fast and loose with the truth. Witness the semi slanderous history lessons of Oliver Stone. The story of the Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco and other California counties in the 60s and 70s has sensationalism written all over it since he was never officially caught. A filmmaker undertaking the project would have a myriad of options to fictionalize the fact that the Zodiac existed. Judging from his previous blood and guts works (7even, Fight Club) I expected another lengthy gore fest from director David Fincher. I was thankfully mistaken. While there are some brutal and violent moments, Zodiac spends most of it's time battering its characters psychologically in their frustrating decades long search for the killer. It's a gripping portrait from end to end.
Over two and a half hours in length Zodiac steadily maintains suspense throughout as the investigation veers in all directions with false leads,wrong suspects and police departments failing to coordinate. Fincher uses his three major characters almost as a relay team to run the course of the film. Editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gylenhal)police inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and reporter Paul Avery(Robert Downey Jr.) doggedly pursue leads but over the years fatigue and burn out set in. Erratic behavior leads to discord and suspicion as we watch each character stumble.
Fincher ably captures the times and the city of San Francisco living in a state of fear which includes a clip from a film made during that time about the Zodiac called Dirty Harry. He eschews the pro-vigilante theatrics of this classic in favor of presenting the truth and adding depth without diluting the suspense making Zodiac a draining but engrossing experience.