Zodiac [2007]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Watching Zodiac with Se7en and Fight Club in mind might disappoint those expecting a typical David Fincher movie, but his exploration of a serial killer's reign across 70s San Francisco is highly rewarding, provided you're willing to put in the (2 and a half) hours. The Zodiac killer submitted citizens of California to everything from fear to mild bemusement for the better part of a decade with his media-baiting ciphers and acts of terrible violence. Meanwhile reporters, police and an obsessed cartoonist named Robert Graysmith spent those years trying and ultimately failing to put a face to the name. Fincher's own fascination with the case really comes across here, and while he doesn't shrink from the horror of the murders, this is his most traditional, but most accomplished feat of storytelling to date.

The pin sharp dialogue and perfectly paced story is accompanied by a first rate cast - most notably Robert Downey Jnr's hack Paul Avery and Mark Ruffalo's dogged homicide detective David Toschi. The story veers away swiftly from standard serial killer fare to intense procedural, focussing on the obsession of the men trying to stop Zodiac. And the real accomplishment here is that audiences will feel their regret, because to this day, the killer has never been caught. Despite this and the intimidating running time, those with the patience will be rewarded with one of the best crime thrillers in years. --Luke Mawson

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-06-25 rating:
Zodiac - a review
This film is quite a long one, and as such it is easy to lose interest after a while. But the pace picks up late on in the film to give it a full and wholesome finish.

The style of the film captures the period of the sixties through to the eighties very well indeed and we are quite easily transported back to the day of the Zodiac killer.

The film is based upon Robert Graysmith's book of the same name, and is of course recounting actual events. As such the film makes everything astonishingly accurate, to the day etc. As such it puts a certain strain on the pace of the film, breaking it up a little too much, and the vast jumps in time from a few hours to several years can get a bit irritating after a while. I understand that this fragmented style is representative of the way in which the case developed, but as a film I don't quite think it works.

Again, on a similar point, some of the characters are only briefly introduced and are not fully rounded and plausible and simply pass Graysmith by as he explores, but it means the audience has to make a lot of connections itself, which in this era of extended stupity some may find annoying and even difficult to do. But again that contributes to the whole style of the film and is probably how Graysmith felt as he was writing the book.

Overall though, it is an interesting film and worth the watch if you can spare two and a half hours.

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review by: brendanbe date: 2008-06-07 rating:
Wrong sign for me
This could have been a good film. Interesting subject. Fairly well shot..and then it falls into that habit that modern american films seem to fall into..which is mumbled dialogue, people talking quickly with lots of background noise.. and less than half way through i got tired of straining to hear what people were saying..and turned it off.
As with ' No country for old men' I get the feeling that either the sound man has gone to lunch or they ran out of recording equipment and are recording the dialogue via some yogurt pots on a pice of string.
It's not big or clever and I find it very annoying.
If the viewer is having trouble understanding what is being said ( and it's in his own language) then why should he bother watching the film?
sack the sound man..or hire one who knows his job.

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review by: martin thomas date: 2008-06-06 rating:
finchers best film
stunning movie thats been unfairly overlooked.the acting is excellent and its never boring this is a must watch and in my opinion one of the top ten best of last year

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review by: date: 2008-06-03 rating:
needed a better second half
Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) stars as cartoonist Robert Graysmith, a man who gets himself wrapped up, along with many others, in the horrendous happenings of a serial killer, a killer who calls himself Zodiac.

Based on a true story in the late 60's and 70's, David Fincher (Fight Club) delivers a tense and intriguing plot revolving around a cartoonist, a journalist and many police offices, in which lies an interesting and sentimental ideology.

Gyllenhaal's cartoonist is quiet and sophisticated, Downey's journalist is clever and aware and Ruffalo's detective is demanding and hurting, and these characters and different personalities give the plot depth and a good foundation.

From the first excellent opening sequence involving the first murder I knew it was going to be an intense watch. The first half of the film is excellent in justifying the mystery and crime genre with the killer being kept well in the shadows and no one not knowing much about it.

Having never actually heard about the real killer in real life, I found it interesting to see how this film went about portraying a real life murderer and was very gripping. However, as the film carries on the intensity wears away and instead focuses more upon the lives of the cartoonist, the journalist and the detective, which is fair enough, but I would have personally liked to see a more intense and gripping second half.

I found the ending quite poor. I know it is based on a true story and everything but still perhaps the ending could have been shot differently to give the film that extra edge.

The performances are excellent. Gyllenhaal was a bit quieter than his better roles in Brokeback Mountain and Donnie Darko but Downey and Ruffalo are on top form in their respective roles.

The direction and settings are great as is the first half of the film. However as the film hits the half way point the interest and intensity die away as the film becomes less realistic and almost irrelevant but regardless, it is still a good crime drama

7.5/10



review by: date: 2008-05-27 rating:
excellent casting for a gripping story
well what can i say, yes towards the end it feels as though the film is a bit long....but it is worth the watch for sure. The ever excellent Mark Ruffalo plays the cool detective, and other leading roles are well cast and played effortlessly with facinating character and eccentricity. Its got aptmoshphere from start to fiinish, along with a cool retro design through the years it runs over, a great watch, enthralling and cleverly directed....give it a go..

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Similar categories

Video . DVD . Categories . Crime, Thrillers & Mystery . All Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
Video . DVD . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD . Categories . Horror
Video . DVD . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 15
Video . DVD . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 2000 and later
Video . DVD . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 2
Video . DVD . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English
Video . DVD . Refinements . Condition (condition-type)

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