Zodiac Reviews

As usual with David Fincher's work, of course, I was really dying to watch this flick and I had some really high expectations. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed and, to be honest, I don't really understand why it was a flop when it was released. Indeed, in my opinion, it is easily one of the best movies delivered by Fincher so far but I guess the average viewer would rather have some far-fetched psychopath thriller with some preposterous twist than this marvel of cerebral film making. Personally, I have nothing against the more typical movies based on serial killers. Indeed, they're usually pretty entertaining but, in my opinion, they are also almost always over the top ('The Silence of the Lambs' is a fine example as well). But not this movie. Indeed, it didn't matter that it was based on a true story, what mattered, in my opinion, was that it was really realistic with some great directing with a keen eye for details. As a result, you had no chases and shootings or stuff like that but a deliberate slow pace which I loved but, apparently, it was one of the main complaints towards this gem. Furthermore, you had here some realistic police and realistic journalistic work and some great directing. Anyway, to conclude, it's just too bad it didn't get the success it deserved, it is a very good movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

''I am not the Zodiac. And if I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you.''

Based on the Robert Graysmith books about the real life notorious Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco with a string of seemingly random murders during the 1960s and 1970s.

Jake Gyllenhaal: Robert Graysmith

Mark Ruffalo: Inspector David Toschi

Robert Downey Jr.: Paul Avery

Zodiac is a layered, impressive thriller covering the true events of the serial killer Zodiac, brought to screen by esteemed David Fincher.
Ultimately this is a thinking man's film, and an in-depth study about obsession. Not merely concerned with the mystery killer's impulsive desires but also one regarding the men whom are obsessed by him, by revealing his identity and solving the puzzle which in turn haunts their lives.



The film does a pivotal job of asking the question; At what stage does intrigue evolve into obsession?
Although it doesn't appear to be as flashy and as stylised as Fincher's previous films, the clever use of CGI and editing techniques are masterfully crisp, clean and technically immaculate. There is one mesmerizing slick and styled scene where we follow a cab through the streets of San Francisco, pre-murder, from the birds-eye view.
It's a wonderful, original story and perspective which sets Zodiac in a firm spot for a number of reasons; It's in a way a historical lesson, and then in another a masterful example of casting and superb acting, while also resulting in a cleverly realized thriller.

''Before I kill you, I'm going to throw your baby out the window.''

The three leads Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal are all exceptional churning out perfect performances, adding to the already compelling story that spans over 30 years of murky mystery.
You really feel the period of the time and one must love how it transitions, as the clothes and fashions alter as the film and plot progresses.
It’s a truism that serial killers are media creations, but Zodiac whom may have taken his name and symbol from a watch advert, was perhaps inspired by the 1932 movie The Most Dangerous Game, and wanted a lawyer who had guest-starred in a Star Trek episode to represent him.
Zodiac remains a phantom of the tube and newsprint. Murderers who are caught get shown up as pathetic human beings rather than Lecter-like masterminds, but Zodiac was either clever or lucky, and remains a phantom. Fincher offers us his creepy, misspelled letters in voice-over and brings a hooded form on for one of the killings, but the film’s most unsettling moments come when the possible Zodiacs are around: convicted paedophile Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch) or repertory cinema programmer Bob Vaughn (Charles Fleischer). As in Se7en and Fight Club, Fincher boasts an unparalleled ability to present ostensibly friendly, deeply twisted people credibly — one of Zodiac’s few melodramatic moments, as Vaughn spooks Graysmith so much he flees the suspect’s house, works entirely because of the unnerving performances.

While this isn’t as straightforward as Panic Room, Fincher’s previous film, it lacks the highly wrought style of Seven and Fight Club. Wonderfully acted as it may result in being, there’s still a sense that Fincher(who is evidently as obsessed over Zodiac similarly to James Cameron regarding Titanic)is working perhaps a notch or two below his capacity entails.
Audiences will need patience with the film’s layered approach, which follows its main characters via poring over details, and be prepared to put up with a couple of rote family arguments and wearily divulging conversations, but this gripping character study becomes increasingly, agonisingly suspenseful as it gets closer to a conclusion concerning a mystery perhaps only the imagination can rectify.

''I... I Need to know who he is. I... I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him.''

Zodiac is a very powerful thriller that features a very bizarre serial killer. After realising that Zodiac was directed by David Fincher and had a really good ensemble cast, it drew my attention to it. It is said to be one of the hardest crime cases in American history. What I think is so clever about Zodiac is because it is about a very smart serial killer who sends puzzles to the newspaper reporters about who or what his/her next victims and how they died. Zodiac is a psychological thriller that is tense but not that tense. The film did end with some unanswered questions which I wasn't really expecting. Zodiac is a rather weird film because there has never been a serial killer that matches how hard it was to catch and a person who kills his/her victims in different ways with different codes.


Jake Gyllenhaal was very good as Robert Graysmith because involving the Zodiac killer case he is like a rookie to the reporters and the cops. Robert is a young man who lives with his family. As he gets closer into the Zodiac investigation he must protect his family from the Zodiac killer because he/she attacks anyone, anywhere, anyhow and anytime. That is where it becomes very tense. Jake has been in films where he hasn't earned very much credit apart from Zodiac and his Oscar nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain. Robert Downey Jr was awesome as Paul Avery who accompanies Robert in the Zodiac investigation. Mark Ruffalo and Chloë Sevigny were good in this film as well.


David Fincher has created another amazing psychological thriller that is considered one of the best out there. His directing was awesome indeed which is very typical of Fincher to do so. His directing was a lot like a cult crime film that has a slight bit of horror in it. He has created another great piece of work that marks another great film on the list of David Fincher films. Zodiac isn't his best and it isn't his worst film neither. I was impressed by how well this film was written. It was written really well which seems to be a bit of a hard challenge for true stories. It was a very complex film that does leave a few unanswered questions as I said.


Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is awesome but he is a lot better in Brokeback Mountain. It isn't Robert Downey Jr's best either. He was better in Iron Man, Chaplin and Tropic Thunder. Out of the five David Fincher films I have seen, Zodiac is the fourth best out of them. It isn't as good as Fight Club, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Se7en but it is better than Alien3. Zodiac is one of the top thrillers of 2007. Overall, this film was really good but wasn't as awesome as I was hoping. Maybe a re-watch in the future might make a difference.

This film was one of those that slipped under the radar and was always one that I felt I missed out on. The premise of a code breaking crime thriller was the major attraction and one that usually always pushes my film appreciation buttons. I knew very little about the film….actually that’s and understatement, I knew nothing about the film. I knew the plot was about a murderer who used a code to give the cops clues and I knew it was based on a true story which usually always gives the film added poignancy.

It goes without saying that I was horrified when Jake Gyllenhall appeared on screen! His lack of acting finesse never ceases to amaze me. His moping schoolboy face screams "kill me now and put me out of my emo misery!" while his confused face does nothing other than get under my skin. Unfortunately these veneered facial expressions appear right from the start and left me gasping for 'Jake Gyllenhall free airspace' by the end of it.

After my brain had finished dismantling Gyllenhall's acting ability I was determined not to write the film off there and then. The start was reasonable if not a little predictable, but there was enough violence to shock you into the plot and with the appearance of Downey Jr. my film expectations started to rise. However through no fault of his own even Rob DJ couldn't save this pancake and it has to be said that it is one of the most uninspiring films I have watched in recent times.

The Zodiac wrote the police letters and challenged them to break his codes providing the directors, producers and script writers with a perfect opportunity to challenge the audience and invite them to try and solve the riddles. Instead this seems to be written for a target audience of pregnant hillbillys living out of a toilet and cleaning their rabid syphilis with a wet sponge. Nothing is left to you as the viewer to wrap your mind around, in fact everything is spoon fed to you so badly that the director may as well appear on the screen waving a big wooden spoon around while making aeroplane noises.

The segregation of the audience is my main issue with the film because it defeats the object of a crime thriller. In my opinion the ideal crimer (That’s a portmanteau of the words Crime & Thriller) should present you with an array of possible suspects and allow you to try and guess your way through it (The Departed/Usual Suspects being great examples of this). In this film, the code is broken for you with no real explanation of how and then insults your intelligence further by presenting you with the only suspect and therefore the killer himself. What a joke!

After the letters and murders have been used and the film has used/mutilated all of the real life evidence it descends into a Jake Gyllenhall bore fest which focuses on his Cartoonist persona single handedly solving the case. Unfortunately for the directors and more importantly the audience, this relies on Gyllenhall's acting ability which is so dreadful it made my white blood cell count double in self defence.

If you make it this far then you really are doing well because it is terrible, I was watching this film alone in my room with the lights off for maximum effect and three times I muttered "Boooring" with nobody to even hear my dismay. I was more thrilled by the dump I had to have half way through! It came as a complete surprise to read that this is one of David Fincher's workings because the fear factor is so completely absent, I was more scared of the killer in scary movie.

All in all this film is pretty darn bad, the acting is poor, the script is more than sleep inducing and the code breaking is non-existent. The only things that save it are the violent killing scenes which are few and far between and Downey Jr. who is written out far too early.

If you want to learn about The Zodiac killing's then read a book, watch a documentary or listen to an audiotape, do not bother with this film. The plot loosely follows the true events, but without adequate script writing the truth cannot hold an audience for 195 minutes. It is this fact that makes the film feel more like a history lesson than a piece of entertainment.

"I Need to know who he is. I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him."

Zodiac has proven to be one of the most astonishing and remarkable films I have seen in a long time, and certainly has made a spot on my favourite thrillers of all time. From start to finish, Zodiac is a chilling and fearsome movie that delivers chills and thrills throughout it's entire length, and manages to keep a mysterious and unanticipated ending.

Zodiac, based on true events, focuses on the serial killer in the San Francisco Bay area who called himself 'Zodiac'. Set in mostly in the '70s, this film captures the dark and unwelcoming events during the Zodiac's murders and case which still remains unsolved today. We can see from all points of view in this film, from witnessing the murders to the investigators and reporters somehow becoming obsessive with the case, and it's not long before the viewers soon become as captivated as the characters.

This film manages to maintain a high level of interest even throughout it's whole length of two and a half hours. It's not very often that I sit down and watch a movie and become as awestruck and mesmerized as I did in Zodiac, so that is certainly saying something. For me it was a film where it was impossible to take my eyes off of the screen, and although some (yet very little) parts were disturbing, I was still just as enthralled. Without my high interest in this film, I can understand that towards the end it might not have been quite as appreciated. As well as interest, you will need to pay attention to discover clues and find out how the case is progressing; otherwise I can guarantee that in the end you will be confused and therefore not value the overall film.

For me the cast were also brilliant and for the most of them, perfect for their chosen characters. Jake Gyllenhaal was incredible and gave a truly outstanding performance for his role, as did both Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. Zodiac has certainly made me appreciate these actors a lot more. Another honourable mention would have to go to Brian Cox; great actor, amazing performance.

Overall Zodiac is a film worth watching for movie lovers of all genres. Although this sits tight under thriller/mystery, this is a movie that should be seen by all; therefore I strongly recommend it.