Zodiac

Zodiac landed on many critics ‘Best of 2007′ lists so I wouldn’t exactly call it underrated. However, it was definitely overlooked by audiences and Oscar. I kick myself for not seeing it in the theater because my television screen doesn’t adequately capture the scope of this police procedural epic. Director David Fincher takes us on a complex, nightmarish journey to 1970’s San Francisco to tell the tale of America’s most notorious unsolved serial killer case.

1969, Vallejo, California: A young man and woman are shot repeatedly on lover’s lane. The boy survives, the girl is killed. Thus begins the Zodiac Killer’s 10+ year reign of terror on Northern California. Zodiac announces himself to the world through cryptic puzzle letters sent to the San Francisco Chronicle. The first principals to take an interest are crime-beat writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his cartoonist colleague Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) whose early attempts to crack the Zodiac’s code prove frustrating. A murdered cabbie puts Inspector Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and his partner William Armstrong on the case. Together, the press and police set about to track down the Zodiac.

The murders stop, but the letters keep coming. Avery’s dogged pursuit pushes him toward alcoholic burnout. Toschi and Armstrong follow the evidence, coming maddeningly close to catching the killer, only to be disappointed. The introspective Graysmith remains fascinated with Zodiac, unable to shake his need to unmask him. Years pass; Avery, Toschi and Armstrong separate themselves from the case. Standing alone is Graysmith. His obsession compels him to write a book in hopes of finally bringing the Zodiac killer to justice.

Zodiac1

Zodiac isn’t about physical killings as much as it is about symbolic killings. The shootings and stabbings are indeed graphic, but more disturbing to watch is the murder of men’s souls. Avery, Toschi and Graysmith lose themselves amid a mountain of circumstantial evidence and dead ends. Their suffering is agonizing and lasting. Fincher has assembled one of the best casts I’ve seen in years. Chief among them is Ruffalo; I’ve always liked this guy, but his portrayal of the driven Dave Toschi is first-rate. Other than Alien 3, Fincher has yet to direct a bad movie. In fact, he gets better each time out.

The trailer for Zodiac: