ZODIAC Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
Paramount Pictures
Grade: B+
Directed by: David Fincher
Written By: James Vanderbilt, book by Robert Graysmith
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards
Screened at: AMC Empire, NYC, 3/3/07
Opens: March 2, 2007 Strange thing about criminals. Some are arrested and convicted ten times for everything from shoplifting to murder. Others commit murder up to ten times and are never caught. Son of Sam, for example, got caught on about his seventh murder, and he could have gotten away with that one too if he didn’t slip up in a particularly stupid way involving his car. A killer who called himself Zodiac killed about ten times and was never arrested despite considerable circumstantial evidence against one particular guy, because the powers that be on the side of the law thought they had an insubstantial case to present to a jury. On top of that, Zodiac successfully taunted the police and a trio of newspapers with notes, using his own handwriting and a code that was actually deciphered. Still no dice. Nor can the prime suspect in a case that was proven at least to my satisfaction in David Fincher’s new movie, “Zodiac,” based on Robert Graysmith’s painfully researched book (now out in paperback for $7.99), ever be called to justice. He died years back of natural causes. The story of the Zodiac killer, adapted for the screen by James Vanderbilt, is an unusual combination of art and commerce in that for the most part the film intricately and with integrity weaves a plethora of detail into a web of intrigue while at the same time providing some breathless moments of suspense and action. Fincher, whose reputation for stories of depravity is well established from his well crafted, intelligently written “Seven” (a detective, before retiring, stumbles onto the trail of a serial killer determined to punish perpetrators of the seven deadly sins), and “Fight Club” (an office worker with a dull job finds unexpected release by joining a violent group dedicated to bare-knuckle battles), plays upon his specialties by dealing with violence, obsession, and the need for release. Morever, like his previous works, Fincher’s film is intelligent, well crafted, and splendidly detailed. He gets fine performances from actors displaying a wide range of personal characteristics. Jake Gyllenhaal, for example, is cast in the role of Robert Graysmith, a shy cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, his plodding personality in direct opposition from that of the flamboyant Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.). While Graysmith is to turn into a writer, tracking down clues to solve a case of serial killing, Avery’s life will dissipate into one of drinking, drugs, and trailer-park seclusion. Filmed by Harris Savides in HD to accentuate San Francisco of the 1970s as a twilight area, “Zodiac” opens on July 4, 1969 with the shooting execution of two young people in a lovers’ lane, followed by notes sent to three newspapers, including the Chronicle, which included a cipher, demanding publication lest more murders follow. The papers accede, but the killings go on, the next occurring by knife against a couple several miles away in Napa. While Avery and Graysmith pursue the case, homicide inspector Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Inspector William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are in charge for the police, but little headway is made despite the evidence left by Zodiac, who is so hungry for attention that he sets up a telephone meeting with hotshot lawyer Melvin Belli (Brian Cox), taking place on a TV talk show. Largely as a result of Graysmith’s work with the evidence, the police are led to suspect a former teacher dismissed for sexual contact with his youngsters, Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch), who Graysmith becomes convinced for the next decade or more is the man they want. Among the merits of the film is the respect given to the transition of time, from the sixties to the nineties, most dramatically shown by the stop-frame construction of the Transamerica Building. There is little humor offered, though one might be amused at first by the looks of a bespectacled Chloe Sevigny on a first date with Graysmith, a woman who is to become his second wife and later to leave him when he becomes totally obsessed with the case. Also amusing is the fright that Graysmith gets when in the creepy home of a movie projectionist whom he suspects is connected to the Zodiac killings. Jake Gyllenhaal carries out his part quite well, at first as foil to the flamboyant Downey, then as the central focus, while the entire ensemble, particularly Mark Ruffalo looking quite seventies with his curly hair, turn out convincing work as denizens of the Bay State some thirty-five years past. Rated R. 156 minutes 2007 by Harvey Karten
Member: NY Film Critics Online | 
