BOTTOM
LINE:
Intriguing and realistic
look at a notorious unsolved serial murder case that although not
thrilling in the strictest sense, is never not interesting.
THE
GOOD: I am a fan
of David Fincher's work (yes, even some parts of Alien 3), so it
was with excitement when I walked in to an all-digital presentation
of his latest film Zodiac and was not disappointed. This film gives
a detailed and well executed account of the Zodiac killings, right
down to the un-Hollywood ending of not actually catching the killer
(even though its suggested who probably did it). This film is a
departure for Fincher in the storytelling sense as its plot doesn't
strictly adhere to the form of his previous films, but rather a
recreation of the past. Although running for 2+ hours, the film
never sags, with glorious visuals and a faithful recreation of the
70's period to complement the mysterious and often engaging storyline.
The acting was for the most part on par, with Robert Downey Jr giving
another excellent performance and Mark Ruffalo fairing very well
with his character of the cop trying to catch the Zodiac. The film
isn't a thriller in the strictest sense as it's more about the day
to day workings to catch the killer, but the killing scenes are
chilling, and only one very tense scene towards the end when Gyllenhaal's
character questions a man in his own personal investigation where
he gives the very strong feeling that he could have done it. And
yes, the digital cameras used by the production gave an extremely
high quality picture, done justice by the digital projection. They
should all be done like this!
