Zodiac (2007) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Zodiac
Year: 2007
Director: David Fincher
Country: US
Language: English

Starting in the late 60's, the Zodiac Killer and its ensuing hysteria rattled the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California. The self-titled Zodiac claimed to have 37 victims; however, just three men and two women have been actually confirmed. On August 1, 1969, the Zodiac began to write letters to newspapers, teasing authorities with hints to its identity. Zodiac’s published correspondence resulted in frantic reactions from authorities and the public. The case still remains open and will possibly remain forever unsolved. 

Jake Gyllenhaal plays a San Francisco cartoonist who becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer. 

An all-consuming need to solve  an unsolvable mystery drives this David Fincher masterclass of Cinema. Screenwriter James Vanderbilt based his true-crime script on Robert Graysmith's nonfiction investigations of the case. His story does not hint at a comfortable resolution, nor does it answer any quests that have not been answered in the real case. Through over nearly three hours, Fincher wraps us in a blanket of obsession, forcing us to watch as we too feel compelled to be detectives in this all-consuming case. 

Due to this film taking place in the past, Fincher recreates the grainy, washed-out colors of 1970s cinema by underexposing or color-timing his shots, creating moodier interiors and clearer nighttime scenes. Zodiac recreates the landscape of the period. Buildings and skylines that no longer exist are recreated via CGI. We are so seamlessly integrated into the 70's that it's very difficult to notice. Bad directors often exaggerate themes of the time (It's disco everywhere!) but not Fincher. 

A sense of tension floods Zodiac throughout the film, even during lighter moments we are on the edge of our seat. The film makes a strong case against a single subject, but we too feel frustrated when there isn't enough evidence to bring them to jail. We want these police-men to be Dirty Harry type characters who enforce their views regardless of what bureaucracy says they "should" do, but the "right" way of the law is unfortunately very complicated. Zodiac is a great picture, I'd say Fincher's best.