Zodiac Director’s Cut
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: The Dweeb
January 2008
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Zodiac, a superbly crafted film from one of this generations greatest directors in this genre, is a terrifying recounting of true events that terrorized northern California in the seventies and has never been officially solved. It may not be considered David Fincher’s best work to date, but its still one hell of an engaging movie, and a creepy one to boot. I think the fact that this film was based on actual events makes it scarier to watch. Zodiac has all the ingredients of a great crime mystery, the viewer never really finds out who the real person is, and we become immersed in the police work involved in trying to track down who this person is. It is an excellent look at what the people on the front lines go through during such a crisis, from the media to the authorities. The constant taunting and threats by the Zodiac puts a strain on everyone, the tension will keep you riveted in your seat.
The way this film is constructed, they don’t pull any punches as you witness the first brutal murder (that was officially linked at any rate) first hand that starts the chain of chilling messages to the newspapers demanding them to be printed. Fincher leaves nothing out, you will be uncomfortable I guarantee it when you watch it. The brutal acts he commits are not dramatized or sanitized for your protection, you see them happen in front of you as if it was you who was being attacked, blood guts and all. This is not for the squeamish, and even I, after watching so many war movies thought I would be desensitized to it. Nope, I had to look away.
The ensemble cast put together for this film is simply fantastic. Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Jake Gyllenhaal and especially Robert Downey Jr. are all credible playing their real life counterparts. Downey’s portrayal of crime reporter Paul Avery shows this man has some real acting chops. He even makes that awful clothing style from the 70′s look good. Its too bad his character essentially leaves the picture just when its starting to get good, or seemingly it is leading to a conclusion. Alas, the film doesn’t make any solid conclusions as to who it could have been, but ends pointing the finger at Arthur Allen (John Lynch) as the most credible suspect Graysmith’s book does. Fincher seems to follow a similar pattern with his previous works, the endings are sort of lame. But this is based on history so we can’t blame the script on this one.
The film itself is a work cinematic art. Unconventional camera angles, much use of the first person perspective, extreme close ups and blocking of shots add to the experience. The use of computer effects is seamless and yet it is used in a large portion of the film. I had no idea until I watched the extras, its amazing what they can do these days. The colors and the lighting of the scenes lend an especially foreboding feeling throughout. The film is a long one, and the second disc is seemingly just as long. There is so much information to absorb, detailing the making of the film to documenting the real Zodiac. It was hard to get all that in just one sitting. The best portion is His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen, a documentary interviewing actual people who knew him, the officers involved and Robert Graysmith. It was just a straightforward interview, no b roll added. But man it was interesting to hear these people talk.
If you are into David Fincher movies, or similar, Zodiac is definitely a keeper.
Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!
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