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Shelf Beauties |
Zodiac Anyone who lived through it,
or loves to watch those awesome true crime documentaries on cable TV,
knows the
case of the Zodiac, but, even if you do know how it ends, this movie
still
reaches thrilling and fascinating heights when it most needs to. Even some of the true
story elements are so
shocking and heartbreaking, you might think it was made up. In the letters, he demands
they print the enclosed, coded cryptograms, and Graysmith becomes one
of the
many to dedicate his time to cracking the code and finding the real
name of the
man who calls himself Zodiac. As
Zodiac
strikes again and again, and continues to send letters to the media
bragging
about his accomplishments, San Francisco Police Department detectives
Bill
Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), Chronicle
reporter
Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Graysmith immerse themselves so
deeply in
the case, it may tear each one up. Will they catch Zodiac? Director David Fincher and
writer James Vanderbilt (based on two books by Graysmith) take a long
time to
tell the audience about the investigation that lasted over 30 years,
but the
high points and mystery make it well worth the time.
Fincher presents a movie full of obsession,
whodunit, and frustration, even if he feels too cool to make it very
earnest. You
won’t get any speeches about duty.
Instead, Fincher and Vanderbilt focus on the
personal desire each investigator feels to catch the most notorious
killer they
have or ever will match wits with, and the pain each one feels as the
killer
slips through their fingers time and time again.
Fincher does it all in a
very straightforward way, but still finds ways to wow our eyes as we
see
letters, notes and more form on the screen as we see characters walk by
or talk
about evidence. He
doesn’t focus on much
outside of the investigation, so we don’t get a perfect feel
for the panic and
public reaction, but as we see what the police and press are faced
with, we get
enough of a feel for that without going too overboard. Early on, to his credit, Fincher
gives Zodiac
a very Martin Scorsese feel as cops and reporters crack wiseass
remarks, and the audience laughs at the macabre being presented in a
very
ironic and comic way, but the movie doesn’t lose its
seriousness. Fincher
and Vanderbilt show us the
jurisdictional battles causing problems as other cops try to protect
territory and attempt to claim the case as their own for the reward and
glory. They
wonderfully capture the rhythm of the
investigation – the thrills of getting a promising lead, the
depression of theories
not panning out, the long time in between short periods of action, even
touching on the few nuts who wanted people to think they were Zodiac
(don’t
think someone would want to be fingered or investigated for being a
serial killer? Think
about John Mark Karr in the JonBenet
Ramsey case). After
being presented with
the basic facts that those unfamiliar with the case may need, Zodiac
really
picks up steam and ropes in the audience as we watch Graysmith start to
take
the lead on a case that has exhausted and burned out the professionals.
Gyllenhaal excels as his
portions of the movie excel. He
shows us
the danger Graysmith feels as he gets close to people who could be
willing to
harm him and his family, and the obsession that is driving people away
from him
as he desperately tries to solve the case.
Even more, Gyllenhaal makes us see the meek and mild
character Robert was
start to melt away as he gets the courage to dive into the case and
confront
people others weren’t willing to.
Even for a 2 hour and 40 minute long movie, some details are left out that would have been fascinating to explore (but there is only so much time), like Toschi’s career and mini-celebrity in the 70’s, some additional cases Zodiac has been tied to, and more. If you want to immerse yourself in the history, you can check out Graysmith’s book or go online to the Court TV story at: http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/zodiac/river_1.html Zodiac is rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material, and brief sexual images.
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