Zodiac (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  I stayed up REAL late watching the DVD and I almost never do that. Couldn't turn it off. In the end, sure, a bit of a shaggy dog story but I didn't mind. Quibble - they might have explained the Melvin Belli character a bit more. I got that he was some celebrity lawyer… More
  I stayed up REAL late watching the DVD and I almost never do that. Couldn't turn it off. In the end, sure, a bit of a shaggy dog story but I didn't mind. Quibble - they might have explained the Melvin Belli character a bit more. I got that he was some celebrity lawyer but I didn't think it was set up well.

• xGary X

  
  Telling the story of a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco bay area in the late 60s and early 70s,The narrative switches between the frustrated detectives that seem to hit a dead end every time they uncover a promising suspect and the obsessive-compulsive journalist who… More
  Telling the story of a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco bay area in the late 60s and early 70s,The narrative switches between the frustrated detectives that seem to hit a dead end every time they uncover a promising suspect and the obsessive-compulsive journalist who cannot allow himself to let the murders remain unsolved. It looks fantastic, Fincher bringing his trademark brooding atmosphere to a frighteningly cold blooded series of crimes (although for me the most disturbing murder scene actually took place in broad daylight) and the top notch cast all deliver. Those who need their stories to be tied up at the end in a nice big bow may not appreciate the open-endedness of the conclusion, but it is based on a true story, so what're you gonna do? It's perhaps lacking the character of Fincher's best and the film suffers greatly once Downey Jr. disappears from the screen as he brought some much needed colour to the story. Very much like All The President's men, it's a brilliantly made but ultimately rather dry and over long affair that's fascinating on first viewing but offers little in the way of rewatch value.

• Eric A

  
  I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! I find the whole story about the Zodiac killer to be very fascinating, and this movie delivers as it tells its story.

• Brad W

  
  Zodiac is a pure masterpiece and is one of David Finchers best, and is slso one of the greatest mystery films ever made. The plot was tremendoys, it has so many twists and turns and so many meanings that Zodiac leaves you with questions, and it was like watching Inception, the film… More
  Zodiac is a pure masterpiece and is one of David Finchers best, and is slso one of the greatest mystery films ever made. The plot was tremendoys, it has so many twists and turns and so many meanings that Zodiac leaves you with questions, and it was like watching Inception, the film makes you think and work things out for yourself. The cast was perfection, one of Jake Gyllenhals best and certainly Mark Ruffolos best performance to date. This movie is like a puzzle, which we try to put together and think about, and I completely recommend watching it twice, because with each viewing you learn more, and with each viewing I love it even more.

• Bethany M

  
  This was a really good film. I was on the edge of my seat and the fact that it's a true story is an even more scary thought. All of the cast were exceptional.

• Lady D

  
  Zociac isn't the most interesting of Serial Killer films, but of course it is based on true events and without ever clearing up for sure who the Zodiac actually was, the invfestigation is concentrated on and of course very drawn out as a result. Still a good watch for those of… More
  Zociac isn't the most interesting of Serial Killer films, but of course it is based on true events and without ever clearing up for sure who the Zodiac actually was, the invfestigation is concentrated on and of course very drawn out as a result. Still a good watch for those of you who like to follow true crime investiagtions.

• Shawn E

  
  An intense mystery based on a true story that will drag you on an endless trail of clues. The film goes to show that in real life, justice is not always served.

• Steven C

  
  I understand it's hard to love David Fincher's "Zodiac", a three hour procedural drama about one of the most notoriously unsolved murder sprees in American crime history; but it's something that I found uncommonly compelling. Fincher's film is all about… More
  I understand it's hard to love David Fincher's "Zodiac", a three hour procedural drama about one of the most notoriously unsolved murder sprees in American crime history; but it's something that I found uncommonly compelling. Fincher's film is all about atmosphere. He takes such care in crafting the time periods and presenting the accurate facts that there is always something to see, hear and feel. The theme of obsession is the string running all the characters and events together, proving to be the most powerful motive for murder or salvation. The film is wonderfully acted by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo and the groundbreaking period digital photography is gorgeous. I think what people fail to notice with "Zodiac" is that this is not a serial killer film. This is a zeitgeist film about a time in American crime where everything was in flux and psychology was demanding a seat at the table. It was such an abstract concept for these cops at the time that denying it meant having this mystery stay unsolved forever. "Zodiac" is engaging and unique.

• Jeff "

  
  Zodiac is another David Fincher masterpiece he returns to form with this film. Combining thrills, with suspense; Fincher creates real life horror about the infamous Zodiac Killer who terrorized the San Francisco area, this film is a real thriller in the purest sense of the word, and… More
  Zodiac is another David Fincher masterpiece he returns to form with this film. Combining thrills, with suspense; Fincher creates real life horror about the infamous Zodiac Killer who terrorized the San Francisco area, this film is a real thriller in the purest sense of the word, and is based on a truly terrifying fact. Based on Robert Graysmith's book of the same name, Zodiac is a tense, thrilling even at times downright horrifying look at the Zodiacs reign of terror. David Fincher's crafts his film to create something that really breaks the rules of Thriller, Mystery, Horror. When I've first seen this film, I thought it was totally different from any other thrillers that I've seen in the past. The only explanation is that Zodiac is a real Horror story, a truly terrifying moment in history, much like when Jack The Ripper stalked the streets of London in 1888. A terrific cast adorns this thrilling film and its a tense film filled with moments of sheer terror and it will keep you guessing until the end. Simply a terrific film. Keep in mind that this is a real Horror story as the Zodiac Killer did exist, a thriller like no other.

• David L

  
  Between December 1968 and October 1969, a serial killer, who had dubbed himself the Zodiac, operated in Northern California, murdering a confirmed five people, though other potential victims have been proposed. Up until 1974, the killer continued to taunt police and the media with a… More
  Between December 1968 and October 1969, a serial killer, who had dubbed himself the Zodiac, operated in Northern California, murdering a confirmed five people, though other potential victims have been proposed. Up until 1974, the killer continued to taunt police and the media with a series of gloating and threatening handwritten letters, in one of which he threatened to execute an entire bus-load of school children. The Zodiac seemingly derived his name from a brand of wristwatch, and his incentive to kill suggested by a cryptogram he sent along with one letter was taken from 'The Most Dangerous Game,' a famous short story from Richard Connell, in which a game hunter turns to hunting humans because they are the only quarry worthy of his skill. Despite the best efforts of the San Francisco Police Department, and others investigators such as author Robert Graysmith, the true identity of the elusive Zodiac remains, to this day, a mystery. After the success of such films as 'Se7en,' 'Fight Club' and 'Panic Room,' director David Fincher has turned his sights away from straight thrillers and fallen upon Robert Graysmith's true-crime novel, 'Zodiac.' Adapted by James Vanderbilt, the film opens on July 4 1969, with the shooting of Michael Mageau (Lee Norris) and Darlene Ferrin (Ciara Hughes) by a perpetrator who remains hidden in the shadows. After the killer sends a taunting letter to the 'San Francisco Chronicle', crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) is assigned to follow the case, whilst newspaper cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes an active interest in the killer. After the Zodiac's fifth confirmed murder, of taxi driver Paul Lee Stine on October 11 1969, Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) of the SFPD attempts to trace the serial killer, his desire becoming an obsession that will later threaten to destroy his life. It is possible that some viewers, expecting a slick and stylish Hollywood serial killer film, will be disappointed with 'Zodiac,' since Fincher has chosen to focus largely on how the hunt for the killer has destroyed the lives of those trying to bring him to justice. We linger on the victims themselves only briefly, and the homicides themselves are all orchestrated well before the mid-point of the film. By constantly reminding us that this is a true story, and by keeping the attention to detail as accurate as possible, Fincher has masterminded an entirely engrossing police procedural, in which the obsessive but futile search for the murderer is more absorbing than the murders themselves. With the real-life case being an unsolved mystery, the ending does not reach any solid conclusions on the identity of the killer, though, by laying out the evidence as it is, the film does manage to convey a certain sense of resolution, effectively avoiding the anti-climax that seemed almost inevitable. A meticulous recreation of the crime investigation, consisting largely of characters' personal and phone conversations, the film-making style of 'Zodiac' draws obvious parallels with such films as Alan J. Pakula's 'All the President's Men (1976),' of which Fincher confesses to being a fan. The acting from everybody involved in 'Zodiac' proves a real asset. Downey Jr. is excellent as the sarcastic and darkly humorous reporter Paul Avery, who would later descend into worrying bouts of alcoholism. Mark Ruffalo, delivering perhaps the finest performance in the film, is perfect as David Toschi, who tried for many years, in vain, to bring the Zodiac to justice, the case threatening to consume his life. Jake Gyllenhaal, though perhaps lacking the presence of his co-stars, is notable as Robert Graysmith, whose fixation with the serial killer would lead him to write two best-selling non-fiction books on the subject, upon which this film was based. John Carroll Lynch is disturbingly unsettling as Arthur Leigh Allen, the number one suspect for the murders, and the only person to have been seriously investigated by detectives. Despite being faced with seemingly damning amounts of circumstantial evidence, Allen vehemently denied being the Zodiac killer, and handwriting comparisons (and, more recently, DNA testing) yielded negative results. Graysmith, however, was convinced that Allen must be the killer, and the scene in which he tracks him down to "look him in the eye? to know that it's him" is extremely effective; it is the moment in which Graysmith frees himself from the grasp of the Zodiac's enigma, allowing him to recapture his life. In order to keep the identity of the killer in doubt, Fincher employed the use of three different actors to portray the Zodiac for the various murder scenes (Richmond Arquette, Bob Stephenson, John Lacy), based on witness descriptions from each of the incidents. Notably, John Carroll Lynch is not used in any of these sequences. Excellent cinematography by Harris Savides beautifully captures the mood and style of the late 1960s and early 1970s in America. Interestingly, to shoot the film, Savides made use of the digital Thomson Viper Filmstream camera, which has previously been employed by Michael Mann in such films as 'Collateral' and 'Miami Vice,' though 'Zodiac' is the first feature-length Hollywood film to be shot entirely in the Viper's uncompressed digital data format. Though I would have expected digital cinematography to detract from the nostalgic atmosphere of the film, I really didn't even notice the difference. A mixture of popular songs from the era, and original music by David Shire, also complement the film well. I'll stop short of referring to David Fincher's 'Zodiac' as a masterpiece, but, needless to say, it is truly a remarkable film that will, no doubt, continue to hold firm for many years to come.

• Jeremy S

  
  Zodiac begins on the 4th July 1969 with the Zodiac killers second attack when he shot Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau at a lovers lane in Vallejo and ends a decade later, sustaining suspence and occasional horror throughout. From the director of the cult classic Fight Club and the… More
  Zodiac begins on the 4th July 1969 with the Zodiac killers second attack when he shot Darlene Ferrin and Mike Mageau at a lovers lane in Vallejo and ends a decade later, sustaining suspence and occasional horror throughout. From the director of the cult classic Fight Club and the medicore Panic Room, David Fitcher hits an nerve and doesn't let go. Form the begining of the of the investigation the audience is riveted to the hunting of the hunter, the real life, still unkown serial killer who called himself 'Zodiac'. And as the investigation runs it course with speculation running wild, the audience becomes evermore obsessed as the investigators are. None more than the character of Jake Gyllenhall, who gives a increasingly frantic performance over shadowed by the sensational witty acting of the masterful but underarted Robert Downey JR. Dotted throughout this masterful crime drama, are scenes of pure horror as the killer feeds what drives him and the investigators get closer to unveiling the Zodiac. (SOPILERS) The fact that the crime is ultimately unsolved adds to the mystery, even though a possible answer to the killers true identity is offered. I wonder if the actor who played behind the mask was the same actor as the possible Zodiac? This would answer the question of wether or not Fitcher believed himself that the proposed cluprit was in his opinion the real Zodiac killer. Questions remain unanswered, but this obsessive compulsive crime drama electricifies.

• Lewis C

  
  Out of the countless serial killer thrillers, Zodiac is fairly unique. Both because it's based on a true story, and because one of the primary characters is a civilian. It's not too often that you see a cartoonist doggedly chasing down leads and sleuthing like a hardcore… More
  Out of the countless serial killer thrillers, Zodiac is fairly unique. Both because it's based on a true story, and because one of the primary characters is a civilian. It's not too often that you see a cartoonist doggedly chasing down leads and sleuthing like a hardcore gumshoe. What we have seen before, is a story of obsession over catching a criminal, and the impact it has families and careers. That's Zodiac in a nutshell. And as the actual crime is still an open case, in a lot of ways the film lives and dies by how well it portrays those relationships. Thankfully, I found all that interesting. If I have to nitpick, I'll say that the running time could have been a bit shorter, and Jake Gyllenhal may not have been a perfect fit or his role. He grew on me as the movie went on, but I can think of five people off the top of my head who would have really nailed that character. Anyway, this is a pretty good movie. Don't expect anything like Se7en or The Silence of the Lambs, but it is thrilling and involving in its own way.

• Chris W

  
  This is definitely one of Fincher's best films, and that's really saying something considering the rest of his output. This movie is an epic study in obsession and fear. Yes, there are deaths depicted in the film, but not that many. When the violence comes though, it is… More
  This is definitely one of Fincher's best films, and that's really saying something considering the rest of his output. This movie is an epic study in obsession and fear. Yes, there are deaths depicted in the film, but not that many. When the violence comes though, it is quite realistic, adding to the creepiness of things. Those actually happen during the first third, leaving the rest of the movie open as a police procedural and a nicely done character study. One thing that really got me was that there was some digital effects and CGI being used here. I couldn't tell it. That's how it should be done-as a tool, not a crutch. This film is about atmosphere and capturing the times more than anything-and that's what I loved about it. The aesthetics are great, and to add to it there are great characters played by a great cast with tons of talent. Gyllenhaal (I feel) was a good choice, but wasn't quite as convincing as he could have been. He's great, don't get me wrong, but I think he underplayed the character's obsessiveness just a tad. What really adds to this movie being so effective is that it tells a story which is still technically unsolved. There's a prime suspect, sure, but not enough confidence to call the case closed. Some might dislike the movie because it ends with no closure, and because it's long anyway, but I found it absolutely gripping and fascinating. This is definitely recommended for people who like procedurals and investigations as the focus over gratituous violence and mayhem.

• Conner R

  
  A great American crime film. It takes the true story of the infamous Zodiac Killer and creates a narrative around it. The film's three part storytelling was both suspenseful and dynamic. The entire cast gave a great effort and made the experience all the more enjoyable. David… More
  A great American crime film. It takes the true story of the infamous Zodiac Killer and creates a narrative around it. The film's three part storytelling was both suspenseful and dynamic. The entire cast gave a great effort and made the experience all the more enjoyable. David Fincher's style was slightly tweaked to fit the time period, but it still is very much his film.

• Anthony L

  
  A really enjoyable thriller! Fincher's direction is a joy as he paces the story of the Zodiac investigation with great dignity and detail. Not for people who like their thrillers slap-dash and fast-paced, neither is this for people who are expecting a Se7en sequel. Great style,… More
  A really enjoyable thriller! Fincher's direction is a joy as he paces the story of the Zodiac investigation with great dignity and detail. Not for people who like their thrillers slap-dash and fast-paced, neither is this for people who are expecting a Se7en sequel. Great style, great acting, great film, some dodgy blue-screen moments, but still, great film.

• Josh L

  
  A really long movie, but one that intrigues the viewer the entire time. Pretty good acting and cast, with some tension thrown in (needed a little more though). It's definitely better than Fincher's vastly overrated Se7en.

• Derek A

  
  <i>"I.... I Need to know who he is. I... I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him."</i> Dark, sleek, and mesmerizing <i>Zodiac</i> is a stylish film that accurately chronicles the serial killer who… More
  <i>"I.... I Need to know who he is. I... I need to stand there, I need to look him in the eye and I need to know that it's him."</i> Dark, sleek, and mesmerizing <i>Zodiac</i> is a stylish film that accurately chronicles the serial killer who tormented the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970's. Director David Fincher (<i>Seven</i>, <i>Fight Club</i>) crafts a different type of masterpiece that he is not accustom to. His previous successes in fiction pales in comparison to his achievement in this narrative. It's extremely difficult to make a film based on actual events and yet maintain its authenticity. One such film that couldn't achieve this level of accuracy was Brian De Palma's inaccurate telling of <i>The Black Dahlia</i>. The three leads did a great job, but the one that stands out here is Jake Gyllenhaal as the cartoonist whose life deteriorates as his continued Zodiac obsession intensifies. This is one of those films that invoked me to do some research on the Zodiac killer. Prior to this film, I had virtually no knowledge of this case. After viewing many websites, I can see that this film was one of the most accurate portrayals of real life events in recent cinema history. It's an absolute shame that this case still has not been solved despite the mounting evidence against the lone suspect. I hope DNA testing in the future will in fact incriminate him. On the down side, this film runs more as an informative History Channel special. I say this only because at a run time of 2hrs. 40mins, it out stays it's welcome. It wasn't entertaining enough to warrant an extended viewing, and the chance of re-watching the film is slim. From a filmmakers standpoint, this is an excellent piece of work... and it's highly commendable. But there's an entertainment factor that's missing that prevents me from loving this film. <i>"The last time I saw this face was July 4th, 1969. I am very sure that's the man who shot me." </i>

• Derek D

  
  All I could think after seeing this was: this fucker is way too damn long! Nothing wrong with the cast or the acting, but I just kept thinking this movie could have been cut. The ending was not especially gratifying after spending 2 1/2 hours to get there, but I already knew the… More
  All I could think after seeing this was: this fucker is way too damn long! Nothing wrong with the cast or the acting, but I just kept thinking this movie could have been cut. The ending was not especially gratifying after spending 2 1/2 hours to get there, but I already knew the real-life story anyway. Not a waste of time at all, but not among Fincher's best.

• familiar s

  
  Nice serial killer movie.

• Steve K

  
  Probably as good a film as could ever be made on the subject, it still came across to me as being a bit overhyped. Solid yes, but not spectacular. After a while I could start predicting scenes before they occurred. That's probably more my fault than anything. At any rate,… More
  Probably as good a film as could ever be made on the subject, it still came across to me as being a bit overhyped. Solid yes, but not spectacular. After a while I could start predicting scenes before they occurred. That's probably more my fault than anything. At any rate, it's worth watching, even for people who don't usually care for such material. It's good adult entertainment in the best sense of the term "adult".

Read all 20 featured audience ratings