Mystery Movie Review - Zodiac

 This 2007 movie was based on the nonfiction books by Robert Graysmith: Zodiac (1986) and Zodiac Unmasked (2002). Graysmith was a cartoonist working for the San Francisco Chronicle when the Zodiac murders started.  

The Zodiac is an unidentified (unless you believe Graysmith's books) serial killer who murdered at least five people (he took credit for 37 murders via letters) in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969. 

The Zodiac attacked three couples and a cab driver in Benicia, Vallejo, unincorporated Napa County, and the city of San Francisco. Two of the Zodiac's seven victims survived. From 1969 to 1974, the Zodiac sent over twenty letters to newspapers, police, Chronicle reporter Paul Avery, and attorney Melvin Belli.

What it's about:

Even though the books the movie is drawn from are non-fiction this isn't a documentary. It is a fictional portrayal of what the author, Robert Graysmith (who worked the the San Francisco Chronicle), personally did over several years to find evidence that points to one man.  

The movie is a drama/police thriller that gives a picture of the police in several jurisdictions and the Chronicle reporters efforts and the suspects they pursued but were never able to gather solid proof. 

Tagline: There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer.

Cast:

Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith

Robert Downey Jr. as Paul Avery

Mark Ruffalo as Inspector David Toschi

Dermot Mulroney as Captain Marty Lee

Chloë Sevigny as Melanie

Anthony Edwards as Inspector William Armstrong

Brian Cox as Melvin Belli

John Carroll Lynch as Arthur Leigh Allen

Director: David Fincher

Writers: James Vanderbilt & Robert Graysmith

Rated R  2 hour 37 minutes

Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images

Rotten Tomatoes 90% 

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

3 wins & 71 nominations

    

Trivia (from IMDB):

• The murder victims' costumes were meticulously recreated from forensic evidence that was lent to the production.

• The film starts and ends with real-life Zodiac survivor Michael Renault Mageau's character.

• The producers hired a private investigator to track down the real-life Zodiac survivor, Michael Renault Mageau.

• Bryan C. Hartnell: the real-life survivor of the Lake Berryessa attack appears as an extra alongside his wife in the background of the scene where Marty Lee suggests to David Toschi that he take some time off work.

• When Mark Ruffalo met David Toschi, the investigator he plays in the film, he was very impressed to learn that Toschi had perfect recall of every detail of every case.

• David Fincher, screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and producer Bradley J. Fischer spent 18 months conducting research into the Zodiac murders. They interviewed witnesses, family members, suspects, retired and active investigators, the only two surviving victims, and the mayors of San Francisco and Vallejo.

• Nancy Slover, the Vallejo operator who took the first Zodiac call, was asked to help provide voice direction by selecting an audio recording of readings by various, unidentified actors. After selecting the recording that sounded closest to Zodiac, it was revealed that she'd selected a reading by John Carroll Lynch who plays prime suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen.

     

My Thoughts:

This is a thoughtful movie that builds an atmospheric San Francisco in the grip of fear during the murders.  It isn't a car chase-shooting-explosions type of movie. It provides realism in the work that went into the investigation on both the police, reporters, and Robert Graysmith's part plus the toll on their personal lives.  

The tagline gives the theme away: "There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer." It's referring to how Robert Graysmith (portrayed by Gyllenhaal) becomes obsessed with finding proof of who the killer was which takes a toll on his new marriage. Even Police Detective David Toschi (portrayed by Ruffalo) has professional problems because of the case.    

Adding up all the gathered evidence, although mostly circumstantial, does point to one man. I tend to think that primary suspect really was the killer. At the end of the movie, just before credits roll there is this statement: "...authorities scheduled a meeting to discuss charging [Arthur Leigh] Allen with the murders. Allen suffered a fatal heart attack before this meeting could take place... He [Robert Graysmith] claims he has not received a single anonymous call since Allen's death."

I found this movie on many lists for best murder mysteries or thrillers. I put off watching, thinking I didn't want to see a gory serial killer tale. I finally gave in and watched it, and I'm glad I did. 

It doesn't focus on the gore much, but rather the horror showing just enough to get the cold-blooded murders across without feeling you're bathing in blood. It had several scenes that were quite tense that added some scares. I found the script very well done, so much so that the 2 1/2 hours didn't seem that long. The cast was excellent in their roles and the cinematography was A+, even the music really set the tone well. I recommend this movie for adult audiences.

     

Please share in the comments your thoughts on this movie if you've seen it. I would love to hear from you.

Movie Trailer:

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