ZODIAC (2007, USA, 157m, 15) ****
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
dist. Paramount Pictures (USA), Warner Bros. (UK); pr co. Paramount Pictures / Warner Bros. / Phoenix Pictures; d. David Fincher; w. James Vanderbilt (based on the book by Robert Graysmith); pr. Ceán Chaffin, Brad Fischer, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, James Vanderbilt; ph. Harris Savides (Technicolor | 2.35:1); m. David Shire; ed. Angus Wall; pd. Donald Graham Burt; ad. Keith P. Cunningham.
cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (Robert Graysmith), Mark Ruffalo (Inspector David Toschi), Robert Downey Jr. (Paul Avery), Anthony Edwards (Inspector William Armstrong), Brian Cox (Melvin Belli), Charles Fleischer (Bob Vaughn), Zach Grenier (Mel Nicolai), Philip Baker Hall (Sherwood Morrill), Elias Koteas (Sgt. Jack Mulanax), James Le Gros (Officer George Bawart), Donal Logue (Captain Ken Narlow), John Carroll Lynch (Arthur Leigh Allen), Dermot Mulroney (Captain Marty Lee), Chloë Sevigny (Melanie), John Terry (Charles Thieriot), June Diane Raphael (Mrs. Toschi), Ciara Moriarty (Darlene Ferrin (as Ciara Hughes)), Adam Goldberg (Duffy Jennings), Tom Verica (Jim Dunbar), Candy Clark (Carol Fisher).
In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Ruffalo and Edwards) and reporters (Gyllenhaal and Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer’s identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls. Highly detailed examination of the investigation, in which Fincher forensically examines the evidence through his characters, alongside the impact of the case on those closest to it. Whilst the script also highlights the many red herrings, resulting in an overlong running time, it is never less than absorbing, with the performances of a strong cast enhancing the authenticity. Great period production design and a non-intrusive score from Shire add to the film’s attributes.
