Review: Zodiac

Directed by: David Fincher

Written by: James Vanderbilt

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox

Rating: [5/5]

The general public’s fascination with serial killers has led to an endless deluge of true crime podcasters trying to get at the truth of what occurs with these murderers. An element of culture that borders on obsession even when the rest of the world has evidently moved on. While speaking on this particular area, Zodiac shines a light on the type of individuals who simply cannot move on in addition to piecing together a thrilling story with the triumvirate of the layperson, the journalist, and the police officer. 

Following the death of a couple in Vallejo, California the San Francisco Chronicle receives an encrypted letter from the individual who claims responsibility for the murder calling themself “Zodiac.” While crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and police detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) look into finding out the identity of the killer, the political cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a vested interest in this situation to an obsessive degree. 

Presenting the search for this killer through the three different lenses of the law, journalism, and pure fanaticism allows for a fascinating observation as to what drives interest in this particular case. It gets even better when we see which of the sides begins to fall off and what remains as time passes seeing as anyone with a vested interest in the Zodiac killer knows that at the time of filming, there was no definitive conclusion on the identity of this murderer. These three men all enter this case with one singular goal while their motivation to continue shifts throughout the film. 

One thing these three men have in common throughout this saga emanates from how this case negatively impacts them on a personal level. A case that provides no resolution and only continues to get worse to the point where it seeps into their personal lives. Something that becomes all-encompassing to the degree where they need to acknowledge at one point it becomes a lost cause and they should step away in defeat that catching this individual should not exist as the end all be all of their lives. We certainly see this with the two individuals following this case for professional reasons, but it surely does not stop the hobbyist in all of this. 

Following Robert Graysmith throughout this film makes for an evergreen representation of the unrelenting enthusiast. An individual so obsessed with the idea of finding the killer that they lose sight of the goal of stopping future murders and simply not the game of figuring it out. We see this near the beginning when Graysmith finds glee in trying to decode the anagram the Zodiac established to communicate his messages to the police and the newspaper. One particular line delivery from Avery to Graysmith beautifully communicates it where the journalist notices the cartoonist almost seems disappointed when a particular lead of his does not pan out. Not because it did not result in the identity of the killer for the greater good but rather that it delays the satisfaction Graysmith undoubtedly craves from figuring it out himself. It represents a particular type of despicability of this cartoonist, especially in the way it impacts his personal life without a care in the world in his mind. 

As years go by and the Zodiac killer goes dormant, it asks the all-important questions laid right at the feet of Graysmtih about what this fascination, as opposed to reality, exists. A place where finding out the identity of a killer of a handful of people when ongoing crimes need a similar type of justice ultimately differentiates between the professionals and the hobbyist. They cannot remain ever-fixating on one crime because they have other duties they must complete as opposed to Graysmith seeing as it becomes a running joke that he needs to be reminded to do his job and draw his cartoons rather than trying to get more clues about this killer. 

In the process of following dead-end leads, it does not stop David Fincher from delivering many pulse-pounding scenes. Several moments present the illusion of the proximity of revelation and the instances where we almost get to where these characters want versus what transpires in reality make for some terrifying moments. One particular conversation Graysmith has with a character in a basement presents a sequence that truly causes me to sweat because of what gets revealed and how it all plays out. It shows Fincher operating at an absolute dynamite level. There’s a reason the man at times reductively gets reduced as the maker of just serial killer films, which happens for a reason seeing as he has such a firm handle on what makes these stories tick and the type of characters that inhabit them. With there being no definitive answer at the time of filming of the true identity of the Zodiac, everything with the narrative already comes shrouded in mystery and Fincher plays into it exquisitely well. 

Aiding these tense-filled scenes we have the fantastic cinematography of Harris Savides who turns San Francisco and the surrounding area into a hellscape. He creates several striking images, particularly when it comes to the instances where the Zodiac killer strikes and takes another victim. The poster of the film helps illustrate this feeling of ominous energy elicited by the film, which the cinematography helps solidify where this proverbial fog just lays around in these cities and creates this untenable and terrifying feeling that Robert Graysmith finds pleasure in trying to continuously crack. 

Unquestionably impactful, especially in the way it delivers a terrifyingly poignant tale, Zodiac accomplishes much more than telling a story about the search for this heinous killer. In addition to this investigation, it highlights larger ideas surrounding obsessive hobbyists along with the way media plays a role in highlighting killers like the Zodiac in the way the Chronicle gets used to spread this murderer’s message. Running close to three hours, not a single second gets wasted in the effort to highlight this masterful approach by David Fincher who never disappoints when operating in this arena. He enlists the help of a wonderful trio of actors in Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. to represent the triumvirate of this story in such an effective and calculated manner. Truly one of the greats of this genre and one that rewards its audience for sticking with it.