Review 141: Zodiac
Zodiac is a masterfully crafted, gut wrenching, at times unsettling mystery thriller.
Based on the non-fiction book, Zodiac by Robert Graysmith, In the late 60's to the early70's, a serial killer known only as the "Zodiac" starts killing in and around San Fransisco Bay Area, taunting police with letters, bloodstained clothing and ciphers mailed to newspapers.
Investigators, Insp. Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Insp. Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and reporters Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice.
The plot is
true to the real life case that inspired this movie. Fincher and his screenwriter James Vanderbilt never opt for easy answers or resolution reflecting the fact that cases are not always solved.
In a lot of ways, Zodiac can be seen as a monster movie without the monsters. It's about something or someone that people are incapable of understanding and try as people might to assign motive to him, they can't because the idea of the Zodiac Killer is too vauge and intangiable.
Investigators, Insp. Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Insp. Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and reporters Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice.
The plot is
true to the real life case that inspired this movie. Fincher and his screenwriter James Vanderbilt never opt for easy answers or resolution reflecting the fact that cases are not always solved.
In a lot of ways, Zodiac can be seen as a monster movie without the monsters. It's about something or someone that people are incapable of understanding and try as people might to assign motive to him, they can't because the idea of the Zodiac Killer is too vauge and intangiable.
The pacing of this film is deliberate to the point of being unbearably slow at times, practically everything in this film operates at a slow build. Fincher ustilises this methodical pace to great effect to show the changing world.
Because of its deliberate pacing, the search for the Zodiac killer as depicted in this film mirrors that of a police investigation and takes its sweet time to develop adding to the realism of the film. Slowly laying out the evidence but without any satisfying results.
Because of its deliberate pacing, the search for the Zodiac killer as depicted in this film mirrors that of a police investigation and takes its sweet time to develop adding to the realism of the film. Slowly laying out the evidence but without any satisfying results.
David Fincher's direction is precise and suspenseful expertly crafting the 157 min narrative with , the cinematography is splendid and captures the beauty and uncertain atmosphere of 60's - 70's San Fransisco, the score by David Shire is the production design (creating 60's - 70's San Fransisco) is terrific and beautifully detailed, the costumes are excellent,
Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a committed, driven extremely engaging performances as Robert Graysmith, expertly capturing the mans commitment and obsession
He continued to search for the truth even after everyone gave up. That obsession cost him his marriage, jepordise his career and plunge his life into turmoil. He knows that something is there and because of his search for the truth. He ends up being left behind stuck in the past whilist everyone else moves on to bigger and better things.
In Graysmith's eyes, somebody needed to pay for these murders and as an everyday citizen he can't do much. What he can do is spread the word.
The film, particularly during the later half can be seen as a character study of Greysmith: We see him delve further into the case doing everything in his power to try and solve it. He devotes hours of his days and partically every day until his personal life falls to the wayside. His paranoia and need to find the Zodiac killer leads him to disregard the evidance
He continued to search for the truth even after everyone gave up. That obsession cost him his marriage, jepordise his career and plunge his life into turmoil. He knows that something is there and because of his search for the truth. He ends up being left behind stuck in the past whilist everyone else moves on to bigger and better things.
In Graysmith's eyes, somebody needed to pay for these murders and as an everyday citizen he can't do much. What he can do is spread the word.
The film, particularly during the later half can be seen as a character study of Greysmith: We see him delve further into the case doing everything in his power to try and solve it. He devotes hours of his days and partically every day until his personal life falls to the wayside. His paranoia and need to find the Zodiac killer leads him to disregard the evidance
Robert Downey, Jr. playing journalist Paul Avery. Throughout the film, he goes from a powerful and respected writer in the 60s to a drug fulled lunatic struggling to make ends meet in the 70s. Life caught up with him.
Mark Ruffalo
ER's Anthony Edwards also
Brian Cox,
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