Zodiac (2007/I)

Director:

David Fincher

Writers (WGA):

James Vanderbilt (screenplay)
Robert Graysmith (book)

Release Date:

2 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Zodiac Killer | Reporter | Cartoonist | Letter

Awards:

25 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 / Zodiac 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:

157 min | 162 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Scenes of Dave Toschi and Robert Graysmith watching Dirty Harry (1971) were filmed inside the Mann National Theatre in Westwood, CA. The garish color schemes of the movie theater were not added by the art department. The very retro interiors of the theater have remained unchanged since 1969, when the National was first built. Interestingly, "Zodiac" played at the Mann National Theatre in mid March of 2007. Thus, moviegoers watched other moviegoers occupy their seats - on the National's trademark large screen. The theater has since been torn down.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene where Avery is meeting someone in an abandoned building, and in the following scene where Graysmith and his date race to telephone Avery, a traffic signal in the background shows pedestrian control beacons of the "hand/man" style, rather than the "walk/don't walk" style of that era.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Features Dirty Harry (1971)

Soundtrack:

Don't Let The Sun (Catch You Crying)

Fincher's best? No. But still very good

I am tired of people writing comments like this, "Not Fincher's best". Honestly who cares. We all agree that Fincher's best is either Seven or Fight Club, two outstanding masterpieces. There is a big margin between a film like one of those and a terrible film, and people don't seem to realize that. These people even do this with other filmmakers like Spielberg or Scorsese, the fact that these filmmakers don't reproduce Schindler's List or Raging Bull doesn't mean that their new stuff isn't good, or worth seeing. I think it is a stupid way to comment on a film, eliminating the critic's credibility. I was lucky enough to catch an advanced screening of Zodiac last night, and I must say that at first I was discouraged by two things, some of the comments I have read and the running time. However I am glad to say that I enjoyed this film, very much. It is a solid suspense thriller that pins you to your seat. Being a true story adds quite a lot to the experience, and besides, Fincher did a wonderful job is staying loyal to the story and at the same time adding his unique flavor to it. The cinematography, like every Fincher film, is great, the darkness and griddiness of the story are perfectly portrayed in the film's visual elements. I was surprised by the picture quality of the Viper, the digital camera with which this film was shot. Many people have been criticizing this choice, but I respect it, he is embracing a new technology and making it work. Of course its still not a match to 35 mm, but if quality filmmakers don't start experimenting with it, it will never be. Now the reason why this film falls behind Seven and Fight Club, I think, is because of a problem with the characters. They seem to be a little weak at times. The performances were great, especially Robert Downey Jr., but I think that this film falls short, when it comes to a true exploration of complex characters, which is the key to Fincher's previous films.

So... my advice to everyone is to ignore most of the negative comments and see the film yourself. I found it to be a great story told in a remarkable way, very entertaining, with great performances, and wonderful direction.