“Zodiac”
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Kites, Chloe Sevigny, Phillip Baker Hall
4 stars out of 4
David Fincher’s most profound work happens to be the best film of 2007 as of late July, having not seen the film in theatres, the DVD purchase was well worth it, as I recognize “Zodiac” as a masterpiece. The film spans the killings and the investigation of the Zodiac killer for decades, through the perspectives of several characters.
Fincher has a knack for dark material; this is the man who directed “Seven” and “Fight Club”. With “Zodiac”, Fincher doesn’t dwell on dark material, he leaves the audience with some of there own ideas and views on the subjects, and how much or how little it affects them. The film is dense in running time, information, and plot. Some viewers may find the pacing too slow, or dull, but it’s just right.
There are a lot of names, places, and information to digest, making the film all the more fun to keep up with, although I knew the outcome of the story, it took away nothing from my viewing. If you unfamiliar with what the story is about, here is a quick overview. A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970's case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie's focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.
Graysmith is played by the popular Jake Gyllenhaal, who is awarded points for a dead on portrayal of someone whose life is taken over by this investigation. Graysmith is a cartoonist for the San Francisco chronicle, who is on the outskirts of the case, but pays close attention, as his newspaper is the one the Zodiac killer writes too. Covering the case is writer Paul Avary, played by Downey Jr, with a solid role as a drunken reporter, with a big ego. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play detectives constantly on the case, searching for answers themselves. Along the way we meet Brian Cox’s character, a psychiatrist who the Zodiac seeks help from, a handwriting specialist, played by Philip Baker Hall, and many more cops, witnesses, and familiar faces that lay out this perfect cast of dozens.
This is truly mature work for Fincher, who hasn’t had a homerun per say with the critics. Although the film didn’t make much at theatres, collecting only 30 million, on an 80 million dollar budget, the critics recognized it for its directing, cinematography, and editing. Although the performances are good, none of them are meaty enough to snag any nominations.
The Zodiac case is truly unremarkable, so much evidence, insight, and thousands of opinions about the killer all being compiled into this near 3 hour movie, which isn’t boring for a second. While some people may find the ending abrupt, I find it perfect, topping off a remarkable film.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Kites, Chloe Sevigny, Phillip Baker Hall
4 stars out of 4
David Fincher’s most profound work happens to be the best film of 2007 as of late July, having not seen the film in theatres, the DVD purchase was well worth it, as I recognize “Zodiac” as a masterpiece. The film spans the killings and the investigation of the Zodiac killer for decades, through the perspectives of several characters.
Fincher has a knack for dark material; this is the man who directed “Seven” and “Fight Club”. With “Zodiac”, Fincher doesn’t dwell on dark material, he leaves the audience with some of there own ideas and views on the subjects, and how much or how little it affects them. The film is dense in running time, information, and plot. Some viewers may find the pacing too slow, or dull, but it’s just right.
There are a lot of names, places, and information to digest, making the film all the more fun to keep up with, although I knew the outcome of the story, it took away nothing from my viewing. If you unfamiliar with what the story is about, here is a quick overview. A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970's case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie's focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.
Graysmith is played by the popular Jake Gyllenhaal, who is awarded points for a dead on portrayal of someone whose life is taken over by this investigation. Graysmith is a cartoonist for the San Francisco chronicle, who is on the outskirts of the case, but pays close attention, as his newspaper is the one the Zodiac killer writes too. Covering the case is writer Paul Avary, played by Downey Jr, with a solid role as a drunken reporter, with a big ego. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play detectives constantly on the case, searching for answers themselves. Along the way we meet Brian Cox’s character, a psychiatrist who the Zodiac seeks help from, a handwriting specialist, played by Philip Baker Hall, and many more cops, witnesses, and familiar faces that lay out this perfect cast of dozens.
This is truly mature work for Fincher, who hasn’t had a homerun per say with the critics. Although the film didn’t make much at theatres, collecting only 30 million, on an 80 million dollar budget, the critics recognized it for its directing, cinematography, and editing. Although the performances are good, none of them are meaty enough to snag any nominations.
The Zodiac case is truly unremarkable, so much evidence, insight, and thousands of opinions about the killer all being compiled into this near 3 hour movie, which isn’t boring for a second. While some people may find the ending abrupt, I find it perfect, topping off a remarkable film.
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