ZODIAC

By
Shannon Onstot
Community Relations Manager
KUNV 91.5 FM
University of Nevada Las Vegas
email: smonstot@yahoo.com


 

 

Zodiac is a thrill ride, through and through. It’s scary without being gory, it’s smart without being complicated, and it has a sense of humor even though its subject is so horrifying. The film is a dizzying journey that winds through decades and drags the audience in along with it.

The story of The Zodiac Killer is one that terrorized a city for over a decade, and continues to be a mystery for those who begin studying the evidence. The film takes a slightly different twist, so that instead of focusing on the killer himself, it directs the audience’s attention more to Robert Graysmith’s obsession with the case and the eventual publishing of his book on the subject.

Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969. It’s 9 months after he begins working there that the first Zodiac cipher arrives. He works with Paul Avery, the reporter in charge of crime at The Chronicle, (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and they begin investigating leads, ticking the local police department off, and even being threatened themselves.

Mark Ruffalo plays Inspector David Toschi, the homicide detective in charge of the case who can’t seem to catch a break. He works on the case with three other police departments and Paul Avery for 15 years before he finally gives up and tries not to think about it anymore. Once Graysmith thinks he’s picked up some leads, Toschi is drawn back in and gives Graysmith a little information to get him on the right tracks. Mark Ruffalo did a great job, and I think he made the character very realistic and natural in his quest to find the killer.

What I loved so much about this film was that it was fast paced, but never felt rushed. Clocking in at a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes, I was exhausted afterward from trying to keep up with all the new information introduced. I thought this could have been the film’s downfall, but instead it’s what made it so good. The story and the case become an obsession of sorts, as you work in your head along with Graysmith to try and figure out who the Zodiac really is.

I was surprised to see that David Fincher directed this film because it lacked any of his usual outlandish and graphic scenes. In fact, the movie was surprisingly not graphic considering its subject. Fincher seemed to direct more in the style of film noir with fast talking cops and reporters, a dark foggy setting, a quick moving plot and even some snappy humor.

Even though I think this is the best film I’ve seen in the theatres in quite a while, I did have a few complaints. Chloe Sevigny plays Robert Graysmith’s dowdy and boring wife. She gets pulled into all the mystery on their first date, and then decides to stick around. I realize this is based on a true story (I couldn’t tell you how accurately though) and Sevigny was portraying an essential character, but I found her flat and unnecessary. She and Gyllenhaal had no chemistry whatsoever and I found her very distracting. Another part I found unnecessary was portraying Robert Downey Jr.’s character as an alcoholic jerk. Again, I realize he was portraying a real person, but all I could think about when he took another drink on screen was that he was Robert Downey Jr., not that he was convincing as Paul Avery. I thought he did a good job in general, and I liked his character’s lines, but I thought that the alcoholism could have been emphasized less.

All in all, David Fincher does another fantastic job at puzzling and delighting me. Zodiac is realistic and feels very natural, but it still manages to be a little glamorous and far-fetched. I love its detail, its storytelling and its fantastic writing. The cast worked well together for the most part, and it’s twists and turns weren’t predictable or over the top. Zodiac made it easy for me to see how someone could become so obsessed with one homicide case, and I thought it was excellent.