ZODIAC
****
Rated R (for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images.)
2 hrs. 36 min.
written by: James Vanderbilt (adaptation) & Robert Graysmith (source material)
produced by: Louis M. Phillips, Jamie Vanderbilt & Mike Medavoy
directed by: David Fincher
Ever since I saw David Fincher's "Se7en" I've been looking forward to any film he directs. I haven't been disappointed yet. I enjoy his visual style, his choice of storytelling and the actors he's worked with thus far. When I found out he was working on a movie about the Zodiac killer murders, my excitement increased. That may sound a lil morbid, right? Am I saying I like movies about serial killers? Well, not all of them. I'm simply into the psychology of it all, like anyone, I think "What kind of person commits such atrocious acts?" When I found out the film would be less serial killer and more police procedural and newspaper investigation, I was sold all the more. The lives of those investigating such crimes are just as interesting to me as those who commit them. So, this review comes with my biases of my being a Fincher fan, enjoying police and investigative procedurals and really digging this cast.
The film's opens on July 4th, 1969 near San Francisco and right away I felt Fincher conveyed the era perfectly. It wasn't just the music but also the pan of cookie-cutter suburbia was dead on. The tone of the film is also captured right away with the brutal shooting of Darlene Ferrin (Ciara Hughes) and Mike Mageau (Jimmi Simpson) in an "inspiration point" type spot in Vallejo, by an unseen figure, made even more disturbing by the mundane and matter-of-fact way the killings take place. Then on August 1st, in the press room of the San Francisco Chronicle, a coded letter has arrived, claiming to be from the killer that has called himself "Zodiac." Crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) takes point on the story, though the paper's editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) is just as intrigued by the killer's cryptic messages. Together, they make an odd pair of armchair sleuths, Graysmith being a clean-nosed introvert who never smokes or drinks and Avery being the exact opposite (in only a way that Downey Jr. can portray). Not only does the characterization of these to suck you in but their interplay is a delight. 
The killings continue....on September 27th, the Zodiac killer stabs Bryan Hartnell (Patrick Scott Lewis) and Cecelia Shepard (Pell James) at Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Then on October 11th, cab driver Paul Stine (Charles Schneider) is shot and killed in Presidio Heights at the corner of Washington & Cherry. It's then that we're introduced to Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), the detectives assigned to the case who eventually work with detectives Jack Mulanax (Elias Koteas) in Vallejo, Ken Narlow (Donal Logue) in Napa and others liaisons much to their frustration. The problem is, each new clue or suspect is cancelled out by insufficient evidence. Zodiac (or someone posing as him) continues to toy with authorities by speaking on the phone with celebrity lawyer Melvin Belli (Brian Cox) when he makes an appearance on a televised talk show, causing more frenzy than anything. As Zodiac's killing spree continues, the city is put under lockdown, while the media and populace are riveted by every scrap of detail revealed in Avery's colorful reports. He went on to claimed he killed 13 people and publicly bragged about it by sending letters to different newspapers in the vicinity. While the true body count may never be known, one thing is for certain....some people involved in the case became so fixated with finding the killer that their obsession ultimately led to their own destruction. Such is the case with Graysmith, who became the only one still determined to know who Zodiac is, to the point of distancing his wife (Chloe Sevigny) and kids with his obsession. 
Due to what little was known of the killer, the film gets to know the three main characters pretty well. This makes sense seeing that the main source material for the film is the Zodiac book that cartoonist Graysmith wound up writing, Fincher shows how each man invested a great deal into discovering who the Zodiac is, way more than anyone should have, considering the molasses-like progression of the case. They work together, but primarily on their own, spending years chasing down every lead, and every time they seem to get close, they realize how far away they are. The effect the case has on their professional and private lives takes up the bulk of the second half of the movie, but it's no less intriguing than the killings in the beginning.
This is a movie where the nitty-gritty of the investigation is as engrossing as the graphically depicted murders. In one point, Graysmith simply visits Bob Vaughn (Charles Fleischer), a possible informant in one of the most frightening scenes in the entire film. Just creepy and uneasy cuz Graysmith has no weapon or back up. He's just one of us. Another favorite scene is a simple interrogation creepily filmed, adding to Fincher's suspensefully taut feel. In it, Toschi, Armstrong and Mulanax question Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch), a potential suspect in the case. It's a quiet, uncomfortable and unfancy scene but nevertheless nerve-wracking. However, a handwriting expert working with the police, Sherwood Merril (Philip Baker Hall) says that Allen could not have written the Zodiac letters. It's results like this that really take a toll on all involved in the investigation. 
As I sit here and write this review, I want to go back and rewatch this movie more than once and catch lil things I didn't notice before and just follow more closely. It's just that good to me. While Fincher might be back in familiar territory, "Zodiac" couldn't be more different from "Se7en," (one of may favorites of Fincher) being a masterfully realized period crime drama that should appeal to fans of "Cold Case" or "CSI." It was easy for me to lose track of time while watching, since throughout the literally 2 hours and 35 minutes of details and facts, the movie never loses sight of the dedicated individuals who nearly destroyed their lives trying to solve the case. Fincher has made a movie that is as Roger Ebert put it, "the "All the President's Men" of serial killer movies, with Woodward and Bernstein playing a cop and a cartoonist." I couldn't sum it up any better that. There may have been some who have watched this movie and were disappointed and that's probably cuz they were expecting it to be a serial killer movie which led them to check the time, I imagine. Too bad for them. I wonder if those viewers even knew what the movie was about before going into it? Fincher has achieved a new level of filmmaking, turning his back on the tried-and-true techniques he originated to create a true crime thriller that's surprising in how thoroughly it reveals the facts and details of the case without ever being tedious or exploitative. It's an amazing film experience.