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| Cast and Credits |
| Cast: |
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Ezra Buzzington |
| Director: |
David Fincher |
| Writer: |
James Vanderbilt |
| Rating: |
Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images. |
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Reviewed By: Erin Cullin
Rating: 9/10
During the summer of 1967, the infamous "Summer of Love", hordes of peace-loving "hippies" from around the world descended upon the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, all sharing a common vision of a utopian world in which peace, love and freedom ruled the day. Their message would inspire a revolution that would forever change the face of American popular culture. But, in a tiny corner of San Francisco, one man was conspiring to send a different message - a message of fear and hatred that would grip the city and destroy the lives of many. That man, whose identity to this day remains a mystery, was the self-named Zodiac Killer.
Zodiac, the latest film by director David Fincher, chronicles the exploits of San Francisco's notorious Zodiac Killer. Based upon Robert Graysmith's novels Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked, the film provides a tense account of the Zodiac's murders, and follows the key figures in the investigation of the crimes as they attempt to identify the killer. The film develops Graysmith's thesis that the murderer was a man named Arthur Leigh Allen, the prime police suspect, who died before the police could complete their investigation of his involvement in the crimes.
Zodiac is something of a departure for David Fincher, a director who is famous for creating shocking, cutting-edge films such as Se7en and Fight Club. Although Zodiac is a more mainstream film than Fincher has directed in the past, it benefits from all of the qualities that have become his hallmark - dark, gritty scenes, superb acting performances, hair-raising suspense and a tight, fluid story. This is an excellent film, and David Fincher deserves the critical praise that he has received for creating it.
A large part of the success of this film must be attributed to its outstanding script. It is difficult at the best of times to create an interesting story, but that challenge increases exponentially when one is dealing with a true story. How does a writer create a suspenseful crime drama when telling a story that is already known to the audience? In the face of this challenge, Zodiac succeeds nicely, presenting an interesting story that holds the attention of the audience throughout its three-hour running time. Under Fincher's capable direction, the story is not only interesting, but tense and suspenseful. On a couple of occasions, I found myself peeking from behind my hands as I watched the drama unfolding onscreen. And, in the way that only a truly great suspense film can effect a viewer, I continued to experience the film for several hours after I left the theatre, looking for the Zodiac on every street corner, in every car and in every closet that I encountered.
This film also owes its success to the outstanding performances of its ensemble cast. Every role is cast perfectly, and no one performance dominates the film. Although his job was probably made easier by the fact that he was working with actors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, Fincher again deserves credit for weaving their performances into such an interesting and colorful tapestry. Using nuanced performances and an intricate attention to detail, Fincher manages to develop his characters into dimensional human beings to whom the audience can emotionally react.
David Fincher's Zodiac is the first truly good film to be released in 2007. It is a film that is best seen in the theatre, if you want to fully experience its suspense and drama. But be warned - after seeing this film, you will be spending a couple of days looking over your shoulder whenever you hear anything go "bump" in the night.
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