Natural apprehension

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2007)

"Zodiac" is a whodunnit thriller but not in the sense of conventional Hollywood film-making. In fact, the film is more a study of the intricacies of the whole police procedure, as chronicled by newspaper cartoonist-turned-writer Robert Graysmith, than a straightforward cat-and-mouse game.
Based from Graysmith's two non-fiction books that detail his investigation of the eponymous serial killer, director David Fincher ("Fight Club," "Se7en") pretty much sets the mood of the film early on. Henceforth, the atmosphere in the film is created and sustained mainly by dialog. After a couple of murders in the late 60s, a series of ominous letters - including ciphers - is sent to the press, claiming responsibility for the murders. The writer introduces himself as Zodiac and up to now, no arrest was ever made, nor a conclusive proof was ever acquired as to who really committed the crimes.
James Vanderbilt's screenplay actually consists of two parts resulting to an overlong long movie (almost three hours) and the lack of a solid central character at times works to the film's disadvantage; but Fincher is able to deliver a constant sense of tension to the viewer especially during the first part, dealing with Zodiac's supposed killing spree and the police investigation. The performances of the actors in general are also efficient. Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Graysmith, effectively brings out a nice transition of his character from the subdued to a passionate individual while Robert Downey, Jr. is impressive in a role that seems tailor-fit for him.
However, the film somewhat lags when it shifts focus past halfway through and decides to ditch neutrality for faithfulness to the source material. That Zodiac remained inactive during those years may have something to do from a structural perspective, but ultimately that keeps the film from having a more intensity of effect.
As a result, I won't go as far as saying "Zodiac" is Fincher's best work. But in that he delivers the requisite uneasiness and frustration amidst the dumbing down of most thrillers in general, the end effect is natural apprehension.