Zodiac

Zodiac is an exhausting movie, a nearly three hour crime film filled with volumes of information on one of the most bizarre serial killers of all time. It’s also continuously fascinating to watch, surviving a somewhat jarring second half leap forward in time by allowing the characters, along with the audience, to fully sink deeper and deeper into a never ending world of facts and statistics.

Zodiac tells the story of how police from many jurisdictions, several news reporters, a rogue cartoonist, handwriting experts, and many more trained professionals worked tirelessly (some more obsessively than others) to try and solve the psychological war of terror the Zodiac Killer declared on the San Francisco area in the late sixties and early seventies. Those expecting a suspense thriller will be very disappointed (although the scenes recreating Zodiac’s murders are disturbing). Instead this movie is more like one of Zodiac’s ciphers, a mystery hidden behind decades’ worth of clues and leads, that is slowly unlocked as the movie progresses.

Although the film is fascinated by procedure, it never feels clinical. Each actor manages to find subtle (or in Robert Downey Jr.’s case, not so subtle, but probably very relatable) ways of making their characters come to life. Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal anchor the movie with quiet, yet intense portrayals of the two men who can’t shake the Zodiac killer. The excitement that envelops them any time they make a connection or a realization is invigorating to watch.

My one big complaint in the film stems from the rather routine manner in which Chloe Sevigny’s character is handled. She plays Gyllenhaal’s long suffering wife who watches as he sinks further and further into the Zodiac mystery, but it’s tired material that is handled in an obvious and rather boring manner. Unfortunately, this storyline pops up in the second half of the movie, and drags the pacing down immensely.

For the majority of its running time though, Zodiac is enthralling, bringing to life a frustrating and unconventional investigation.

Star Rating ***1/2 out of 4