Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Zodiac (2007)

Genre

Mystery | Thriller

Director

David Fincher

Country

USA

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Dermot Mulroney, Philip Baker Hall, Chloe Sevigny, John Getz, John Terry, Adam Goldberg, David Lee Smith

Storyline

Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a cartoonist working for the San Francisco Chronicle, starts investigating a serial killer known as Zodiac and soon becomes obsessed with the case. 

Opinion

David Fincher's "Seven" is one of my favourite films. I love everything about it. And I did go into this film expecting something like that. What I found myself watching was something completely different. But different doesn't always mean bad, and this is the case.

Although it is more of an investigative film than a thriller, "Zodiac" is a very interesting, engaging and intricate mystery film that is also surprisingly suspenseful. And the film's length - two and a half hours - isn't too long.

Based on a true story about a serial killer in California during the 1960s and 1970s, who named himself Zodiac - and of whom I have never heard of before, probably because I wasn't born yet and I don't live in the US -, the story hooks the viewer right from the beginning. The most appropriate words would be, it is addictive.

What's the great thing about it? Well, instead of focusing on the serial killer, who is arguably a very interesting person to analyze, the story is focused on the people that are trying to catch him. And it is so interesting because the investigation is not only viewed through the eyes of the police - as usually happens -, but through those of journalists as well. It is intriguing because, while for the police the investigation is just part of their jobs, for the journalists it is more of a challenge. Like solving a puzzle. By the way, the characters are so complex, credible and feels so real, it is refreshing.

The other great thing about "Zodiac" is that Fincher doesn't spend time exploring the psychological reasons leading each character to become obsessed with the killer; rather he invites the viewer to observe and make up his own mind to why the characters do what they do. I have a complain though, he should have explored more Robert Downey Jr.'s character obsession.

At last but not least, the cast. Jake Gyllenhaal does a fantastic job as cartoonist, wannabe detective Robert Graysmith, and truly becomes his character. The other stand out performances comes from Robert Downey Jr. as reporter Paul Avery and Mark Ruffalo as SFPD detective David Toschi.

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