Zodiac - Review
David Fincher's 2007 thriller 'Zodiac' is based on the true story of a still unidentified serial killer, who went by the name 'Zodiac Killer', who operated in North California during the late 1960s and 1970s. While the film has a slightly graphic opening, the majority of the film actually revolves around three characters; Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), and Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). Through this character focus the audience becomes invested each of the three's story, and the narrative is driven through dialogue as opposed to action. The film is nearly three hours long, but I was never bored - this was due to the excellent screenplay and actor performances.
SPOILERS AHEAD (Skip to conclusion)
'Zodiac' begins in 1969, and most of the film takes place in the 70's and 80's. While a few of the time skips seemed a little sudden, this is likely due to the lack of new information the police and the press were getting at the time. I do feel that maybe hairstyles or facial hair could be changed more often to denote these time changes, as sometimes I found it hard to comprehend some of the larger jumps, although other characters, such as Robert's children, help to show this as they grow up.
The character of Robert was particularly interesting; he begins as a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, but later leaves his job to write a book about the Zodiac Killer. The mystery takes over his life, leading to his wife/partner leaving him with the kids. While the audience are shown a slow growth in the character's recognition within the company, this takes a dive in the third act. I found this to be an interesting twist, which is not often seen in films but is more realistic; this actually happened to the real Robert Graysmith.
Fincher's restraint on using violent, 'Hollywood style' murder scenes was admirable; this leaves the audience to imagine what happened instead of being shown, a technique that is often used in the best horror films. The film can be quite scary at some points, mainly if you let your imagination run wild. One scene with a hostile man that is a suspect to Robert feels very horror-esque, as he attempts to leave the man's basement after a revelation shows that he is not who Robert thought he was. As with all of Fincher's films, the lighting gives a dark and serious atmosphere to most scenes, which helps raise the tension.
SPOILERS END
'Zodiac' was a thoroughly entertaining film from start to finish, and I encourage anyone reading this review to watch it ASAP. The movie demonstrates how to make an interesting narrative about a killer without ever explicitly showing the killer, and it's open-ended conclusion will make you continue to think about it for days after watching it.
9/10