Zodiac is the true story behind the murders that many crime scholars believe to be the most perplexing series of unsolved crimes in modern history. David Fincher, director of Fight Club and Seven, tells the mysterious tale of the infamous Zodiac: A relentless serial killer is stalking the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area, leaving citizens locked into a constant state of panic and baffled authorities scrambling for clues. Though the killer sadistically mocks the detectives by leaving a series of perplexing ciphers and menacing letters at the crime scenes, the investigation quickly flat-lines when none of the evidence yields any solid leads. As two detectives remain steadfast in their devotion to bringing the elusive killer to justice, they soon find that the madman has control not only over their careers, but their very lives as well. (All Movie Guide)This is a movie that clocks in at 2 hours and 40 minutes and yet, for me, it seemed like an hour and a half. I was already familiar with the Zodiac murders, but watching the details play out from start to as close to an end as you could get was absolutely mesmerizing. I felt every actor involved was superb and even though Jake Gyllenhaal will get most of the accolades, I felt that the performances by Robert Downey Jr as Paul Avery and Mark Ruffalo as Inspector David Toschi were as equally engaging. Toschi, by the way, was the inspiration for Steve McQueen's Frank Bullitt.
My favorite part of the film, however, had to be David Fincher. For me, what really set this movie apart from any other attempt or an A & E recreation was the attention to detail. Absolutely everything in each scene is representative of the specific time period. It actually felt like I was a fly on the wall as these events were unfolding. It is my understanding that Robert Graysmith, author of the two books on which the movie is based and the character in which Gyllenhaal portrays in the film, had his pick of directors and decided on Fincher, a San Francisco Bay Area native, because Fincher was more interested in making a good movie rather than opening weekend gross. Also, as a 7-year-old kid, Fincher remembered being escorted to school by police after Zodiac threatened an attack on a school bus.
