'ZODIAC'
David Fincher is one of the few directors in Hollywood who knows how to tell a complex story without insulting the audience's intelligence. In films as diverse as the blood-drenched morality play "Se7en," the distressed damsel who turns the table on her attacker drama "Panic Room" or the identity-bending ode to nihilism "Fight Club," Fincher's penchant for fully formed and deeply empathetic characters is always on full display.
"Zodiac," Fincher's wickedly clever exploration of a series of unsolved murders in the San Francisco Bay area in the late '60s and early '70s, benefits from great casting despite being saddled with a less than dramatically satisfactory ending. Because the Zodiac Killer was never caught and his identity is still subject to argument and speculation, the drama in Fincher's stylish period piece is provided by a trio of intrepid men who dedicate large parts of their lives to the hunt for the elusive murderer.
Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), the San Francisco Chronicle's political cartoonist, is so obsessed with unmasking the clues to the killer's identity that his marriage suffers irreparable damage. The eccentric cartoonist-turned-amateur-cryptologist pursues the Zodiac Killer through an ever-shifting maze of theories that never results in a satisfying resolution. Gyllenhaal plays Graysmith with an unblinking sense of commitment that gradually evolves into a haunted stare reflecting his disappointment and horror.
Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) is the SF Chronicle's ace investigative reporter. His early correspondence with the Zodiac Killer leads to a series of articles in which the murderer taunted the police for their ineptitude. The pill-popping, hard-drinking Avery is initially exhilarated by the chase, but is eventually worn down by Zodiac's tendency to take credit for every unsolved murder in Northern California. Downey's portrayal of a reporter's descent into alcoholic cynicism and indifference is one of his best performances to date.
Inspector Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) is the only one of the film's three main characters officially tasked with capturing the Zodiac Killer, but he often finds himself in a wary alliance with Avery and Graysmith. Toschi has to deal with overlapping police jurisdictions and incompetence while being taunted by a smarter-than-average killer. He begins the case as an Animal Crackers-eating Columbo, but like Avery and Graysmith, he's unable to put the pieces together.
The fact that the Zodiac Killer was never caught looms over this film like a brick suspended by a spider web, but it doesn't detract from the cat-and-mouse games the characters engage in with a variety of suspects. Most viewers will agree that one suspect in particular is probably the most likely killer. Other than a voice-over track by the director, this edition of "Zodiac" on DVD comes without extra features most viewers take for granted. Those extras, including interviews with investigators and the people portrayed in the film, have been reserved for a deluxe edition of the DVD debuting early next year. This is a great DVD to rent now, but wait six months to buy it. The extras will make it more than worth the wait.
First Published: July 26, 2007, 1:15 a.m.
