Zodiac (film)

David Fincher is the master of menace. While the horror genre has devolved into something akin to the exploitation of body parts, Fincher holds the fort for a good suspenseful film with Zodiac, a true story that stays true for the whole course of the movie.

The true story is about the 1960s Californian serial killer who gave himself the codename 'Zodiac'. There's a wiki here if you want to read more about it. In short, though, Zodiac taunts the police and the media with letters and codes that supposedly reveal his identity. The film is less about the killer, however, than the effect he has on the main players in the investigation; Paul Avery, a crime reporter, Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist (and former boy scout), David Toschi and William Armstrong, both police inspectors on the case.

The cast is exceptional. Robert Downey Jr's Avery is played perfectly borderline, a provocative reporter but somewhat of a nutcase echoing at least two memorable Downey Jr roles in Natural Born Killers and A Scanner Darkly. His involvement is hot for the first half, but as the identity of Zodiac eludes the city, he collapses into a state of despondency and alcoholism. When Graysmith visits Avery some years later, it is clear that for Avery, covering Zodiac was a dead end of a different sort.

Both Toschi and Armstrong become jaded by the killer's baiting. As the case cools, the inconclusive nature of Zodiac's identity seems to weary them. They deal with other homicides, life goes on. Armstrong gets a transfer off the beat and Toschi is stuck with the eager boy scout enthusiasm of Graysmith, offering tidbits to the cartoonist.

Their relationship is the most interesting; while Avery was mostly dismissive of Graysmith's enthusiasm, Graysmith reignites something in Toschi. Mark Ruffalo's Toschi is nicely balanced, demonstrating both a careworn but controlled interest in solving crime. While Toschi shows a dignified restraint, it is clear that the Zodiac case has taken its toll and he is happy to let Graysmith do the legwork.

Graysmith is the constant in the film. Jake Gyllenhaal does an admirable job in a difficult role, but personally I found his youthful looks affected his credibility as Graysmith. He's a fine actor but like Leonardo di Caprio, may suffer from being too cute. (I also refer to Katie Holmes, who was too cute to be a District Attorney in Batman Begins, though I don't think she is as good an actor as Gyllenhaal).

Gyllenhaal's Graysmith is excellent in the first half; he places himself as a sort of puppyish minion to Avery, which suits him. As the case wear on, however, and the other men are giving up or relocating, Graysmith shows none of the internal angst that the others show despite his haggard looks and evidence of his family relationships and life crumbling around him. Yes, he is supposed to be a man obsessed but it seems that his spirits come from too high a platform for us, as an audience, to care as much as we should when he pieces together several key findings.

My main criticism of the film is its length. As an unsolved case, I understand the need for investigations to drag out but I believe there was a bit too much of that to be effective. On the plus side, though, Fincher's direction makes Zodiac compelling viewing so those long stints are rewarded by some great material.

As I began, Fincher is a master of menace. For a film about a serial killer, there's less active killing than there is hold-your-breath 'is-he-or-isn't-he' moments. Most of the time Fincher paces these well, but occasionally he slips and lets the lull go for too long, which is where good editing should trim. So if you like bloodiness, don't watch Zodiac, but if you're after a thoughtful drama/suspense film you should like this.

Film rating: 9/10
Enjoyment rating: 8/10