Zodiac (2007/I)

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

James Vanderbilt (screenplay)
Robert Graysmith (book)

Release Date:

2 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer

Plot:

Based on the Robert Graysmith books about the real life notorious Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco with a string of seemingly random murders during the 1960s and 1970s.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | Crime Scene | Police Station | Airport | Movie Theater

Awards:

24 nominations

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Robert Graysmith
Mark Ruffalo	...	Inspector David Toschi
Anthony Edwards	...	Inspector William Armstrong
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Paul Avery
Brian Cox	...	Melvin Belli
John Carroll Lynch	...	Arthur Leigh Allen
Richmond Arquette	...	Zodiac 1 & 2
Bob Stephenson	...	Zodiac 3
John Lacy	...	Zodiac 4
Chloë Sevigny	...	Melanie
Ed Setrakian	...	Al Hyman
John Getz	...	Templeton Peck
John Terry	...	Charles Thieriot
Candy Clark	...	Carol Fisher
Elias Koteas	...	Sgt. Jack Mulanax

Also Known As:

Chronicles (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images. (also director's cut)

Runtime:

158 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Hong Kong:IIB | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | India:UA | New Zealand:R16 | Italy:T | Brazil:16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Philippines:R-13 | South Korea:15 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Germany:16 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R (certificate #42944) | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:U (with warning) | USA:R | Australia:MA | Japan:PG-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva)

Filming Locations:

4th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The cab scene on Washington and Cherry Streets in San Francisco could not be entirely shot in San Francisco due to filming restrictions and the opposition of the neighborhood residents. So, a set of the intersection, including the street, apartments and crime scene was constructed at Downey Studios just outside of Los Angeles, California. Backdrops of San Francisco were digitally inserted to complete the scene. Only a few seconds of actual footage shot in the original crime scene location remains in the scene.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the store there is a calendar behind the desk that indicates it is February 1980. However, as Graysmith is entering the store, the caption says it is Dec. 20, 1983. The prominent out-of-date calendar may just be a way of showing that the store that Allen works in is a sleepy place where they've forgotten to change the calendar for four years ... the discrepancy is so glaring that one almost suspects intent.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike Mageau: Where have you been? I've been waiting since 7:00.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Best of 2007" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Jean

"This Is The Zodiac Speaking"

With those five words and with countless threats and baffling cryptograms, a serial killer terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s and early 70s. In the thirty-five years since the attacks, the only suspect ever officially named in the case was Arthur Leigh Allen. Yet, recent DNA analysis seems to have eliminated Allen as a suspect. Like Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac's identity remains, to this day ... unknown.

There have been a couple of other films about the Zodiac. But Director David Fincher's thriller is by far the most ambitious and high profile. Based on two books by researcher Robert Graysmith, the film starts off with reenactments of some of the killer's attacks. Most of the film, however, follows three men who were involved in the original investigation: Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), Inspector Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), and reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.).

Procedural in style, the film reminds me of "All The President's Men", with its dogged and maddening investigation by unofficial individuals. Here, Graysmith's obsession with the case matches the obsession of Woodward and Bernstein.

"Zodiac" has a big problem with pacing. Suspense is sporadic at best. Too much dialogue, and unnecessary sequences, especially in the film's middle Act, render considerable boredom. Given the film's length, these talky sequences could easily have been edited out.

The film's production design and overall acting quality are good. I could have wished for more late 60's era music. "The Hurdy Gurdy Man" was good, but not enough. Authentic location shots add credibility to the story as non-fiction. The film's cinematography makes use of the new digital "Viper" camera. As such, "Zodiac" is significant in that it becomes the first major movie to be filmed without conventional videotape or film.

A flabby screenplay interferes with what should have been a riveting thriller. Still, if you are interested in this true life crime case, Fincher's "Zodiac" records the lengthy, and futile, search for the infamous killer who still fascinates us, even after all these years. Unless this case is solved quickly, it will soon become a crime legend of historic proportions, every bit as haunting as the legend of Jack the Ripper.