David Fincher returns, and it's reason to rejoice.
Zodiac
Directed by: David Fincher
Written by: James Vanderbilt
Based on the book by: Robert Graysmith
Runtime: 160 min
Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images.
Robert Graysmith: Jake Gyllenhaal
David Toschi: Mark Ruffalo
Paul Avery: Robert Downey Jr.
William Armstrong: Anthony Edwards
Mevin Belli: Brian Cox
Arthur Leigh Allen: John Carroll Lynch
OK, yes, Zodiac is directed by David Fincher, but you might as well get any expectations that may cause out of your head right now. If his name wasn’t in the opening credits, and you went into the theater not knowing who helmed the film, you’d be hard-pressed to guess it was the same man who brought us such slick, stylized thrillers as Se7en, The Game, and Panic Room. And the apocalyptic mayhem of Fight Club? Forget about it – you won’t find it on display here.
Why is that? Well, simply put, it’s because this time Fincher doesn’t even have to rely on his usual bag of tricks to deliver a great film. With Zodiac, the director has no need to rely on camera wizardry or edgy style to compel us. This time, he has something much better up his sleeve – the facts. Because, as Fincher’s film shows us, in the case of the Zodiac killings there’s nothing more compelling than the cold, hard reality of the facts.
Based on the still (officially) unsolved case, the film does tell the tale of the man who called himself the Zodiac, who terrorized California during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s with a series of vicious murders, and then proceeded to taunt the police by offering mysterious clues and demanding the local newspapers print his twisted letters and threats. And while this real-life case obviously could have been turned into just another exploitative shock-fest, and in fact already has in the past, Fincher’s Zodiac is a very different kind of serial-killer movie than Hollywood has been offering lately, and certainly a lot different than what audiences might expect from the man who knocked moviegoers out of their seats with the brilliance of Seven. Fincher has no desire to re-create the Zodiac case as some sort of fast-paced, edge of your seat thrill ride. Yes, it’s about a manhunt for a brutal murderer, but Fincher tells it like it is, presenting that manhunt just as it was – lasting over a decade and consisting of hundreds of suspects and even more dead-ends. And because the case was never officially resolved – it is still, in fact, an open case in several California counties – you might not want to prepare yourself for the typical Hollywood finale.
What audiences will find is a gripping examination of the Zodiac killings, and in particular the effect it had on the lives of three men: San Francisco detective David Toschi, one of the lead detectives on the case; Paul Avery, a San Francisco crime reporter whose reporting of the case eventually made him a target of the Zodiac; and Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist and colleague of Avery’s who became so obsessed with the Zodiac that he eventually embarked on his own personal investigation, and in doing so may have come closer to solving the case than anyone.
All three of these men are drawn deeper and deeper into the case – often at great risk to their own well-being and family life. And yet the film helps us understand just how easy it was for these men to become lost in the investigation, as well as share their excitement whenever a new clue seems to offer hope, and we feel their disappointment whenever that hope disappears as it turns out to be just another dead-end. One of the Zodiac’s trademarks was to send out cryptic puzzles for the police to solve, and as the film progresses we come to realize that the investigation itself eventually became the greatest puzzle of all, with each new piece of information seemingly fitting into another, only to eventually be revealed as yet another misdirection. And as the police apparently come close to solving the case on a few occasions, only to see the slightest lack of evidence or hint of doubt prevent an arrest, we find ourselves just as drawn into the mystery as the men who lived it, and just as eager to put the final pieces together and find resolution. And so, although not much explanation is ever offered for why Graysmith becomes so interested in the case, as we watch him plunge deeper into his fixation with the case – his whole apartment eventually overflowing with case files, charts, and books on code-breaking – we empathize with him, and can even understand his stated desire to find the man behind the murders, look him in the eyes, and know it’s him.
Of course, the empathizing with these men and the toll the investigation took on their lives probably wouldn’t be possible if not for the excellent casting, which is where Zodiac really shines. Jake Gyllenhaal is superb as Graysmith, and perfectly nails the transition from wide-eyed enthusiasm (at first, helping to solve the Zodiac’s puzzles seems like just a fun little diversion to Graysmith) to life-altering obsession. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo gives the best performance I’ve seen him deliver as Inspector David Toschi. In real-life, Toschi was the inspiration for Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, so you might expect a tough, macho caricature. Instead, Ruffalo plays Toschi with a soft-spoken demeanor that almost hides his intense passion for getting his man. Special mention should be made of Anthony Edwards, as well, who does his best work in years as Toschi’s equally driven partner. And then there’s Robert Downey Jr. Given the film’s funniest lines, and almost certainly drawing on the demons of his own haunted past, Downey Jr. pretty much steals the movie as Avery, whose own obsession with the case, not to mention alcohol and drugs, eventually leads him on a depressing downward spiral. David Fincher is known for putting his actors through one hell of an emotional journey, often requiring them to give up to 50 or more takes for even the slightest scene. Some actors might view that kind of perfectionist attitude as frustrating, but if it results in performances like these, I’d say it’s well worth it.
But as great as the cast is, it is Fincher who is the real star here. Zodiac is Fincher’s first film since 2002’s Panic Room, but until watching the movie I didn’t even realize just how much he was missed. He’s one of film’s most intriguing talents, a reputation which Zodiac will only help to cement. In fact, Zodiac suggests that Fincher might just be a better filmmaker than even his most ardent fans realized. Although the dark, foreboding menace of the Zodiac killings puts Fincher in somewhat familiar territory, he nevertheless eschews his normal in-your-face style and instead proves himself just as capable at delivering real, emotional, character-driven drama; at the same time managing not to forgo any of the exhilaration of his previous films – apart from a few lulls (this is one of those 2 ½ hour movies that does feel like a 2 ½ hour movie), this is probably the most gripping film to consist primarily of people talking that I’ve seen in a long time.
Perhaps the best way to sum up Zodiac is to fall back on an overused movie critic cliché that I never thought I’d actually find myself resorting to. But what the hell, it deserves it: Zodiac is the first great film of the year. Welcome back, Mr. Fincher.
The 411: Zodiac, a fact-based examination of the Zodiac killings which terrorized California in the late '60s and early '70s, may come from director David Fincher, but it's worlds apart from Se7en. Instead, Fincher leaves behind his edgy camera work to craft a mature and fascinating look at the personal toll the Zodiac case took on the lives of those who investigated it. It's gripping, mesmerizing, and without a doubt the year's first great film. Hell, it might just be Fincher's best work yet.
