A serial killer who has dubbed himself the Zodiac is committing murders in California; his only contact with the police and the press comes in the form of letters and cryptograms he demands be published. San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a fan of the very sort of puzzle the Zodiac includes with his correspondence, becomes obsessed with doing what he can to help crack the case. Graysmith finds a kindred spirit in San Francisco detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), the lead investigator on that city’s end of the case, whose determination to capture the killer consumes his life.

CRITIQUE

David Fincher’s Zodiac is, to put it mildly, a marvel of modern filmmaking. It’s a thriller, a police/journalistic procedural, and an absorbing, probing drama all rolled into one. It’s also one of the best films of the decade. It wasn’t a success when it was first released, but it’s the type of film whose reputation will only grow over the years, and there’s no doubt it will still be talked about and discussed long into the future.

Fincher’s signature visual stylistics are largely left on the sidelines here, but there’s no doubt who’s calling the shots. The razzle-dazzle may be gone, but Fincher’s immaculate craftsmanship is nevertheless on full display. His eye for detail and composition are still at the fore; even the smallest of the characters’ looks and movements have obviously been carefully considered, and this control adds up to a singular experience.

I watched the film three times within the span of forty-eight hours, and during the latter viewings I was constantly noticing little things I had missed the first time around, whether it be a seemingly offhand gesture, or a key piece of visual information hidden around the edges of a frame. It’s a truly masterful accomplishment.

Fincher’s work behind the camera is matched by screenwriter James Vanderbilt’s work behind a keyboard. The less said about most of Vanderbilt’s previous credits the better, but his writing here is literate and intelligent. There’s a lot of information that had to be covered in the script, and Vanderbilt did an excellent job succinctly fitting it in.

Working from both of Graysmith’s nonfiction works on the crimes, as well as incorporating information from police reports and interviews with practically everyone who was impacted by the crimes, Vanderbilt constructed a script that largely relies on dialogue to impart all of this information, yet the words being spoken never sound artificial or expository. There’s a wit, force, and believability to the dialogue that helps counterbalance the deluge of information.

Even more impressive is the attention paid to the human side of the story. The first half of the film is largely given over to the time during which the crimes were committed, and it’s here that we see the cops plying their trade. But once the crimes stop, and the letters from the Zodiac cease, the film focuses on the impact the investigation had on the individuals involved, particularly Toschi and Graysmith (whose obsession eventually brought about the end of his second marriage).

Both men become fixated on finding the Zodiac, so much so that it largely blinds them to the world around them. Fincher and Vanderbilt wisely contrast Toschi and Graysmith’s reactions with those of the men who act as their partners. Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), Toschi’s partner, is better able to compartmentalize his anger and frustration, so while he’s just as dogged in his resolve to catch the Zodiac, he doesn’t let the case rule him (there’s a line of dialogue in Edwards’s last scene with Ruffalo that brilliantly sums up the differences between the two cops).

Fincher and Vanderbilt fudge the story a bit on Graysmith’s side, providing him with a relationship with crime beat reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.), but in this case dramatic license really pays off, as Avery--an egotistical, flamboyant, somewhat unsavory guy whose sense of ethics left much to be desired--is the perfect counterpoint to the more straight-laced Graysmith. And again, the film’s final exchange between these two men is simply brilliant.

It’s hard to generate suspense with a story whose outcome is already well known, but Fincher and Vanderbilt manage to do it from the first frame to the last. There’s a disquieting quality to the opening sequence, with its predatory camera intruding upon a neighborhood’s Independence Day celebration; and although the final scene features a payoff it’s not hard to know is coming, it’s almost unbearable waiting for the moment to finally arrive. I was relieved to see a certain character finally place his finger on a photograph, as the simple gesture provides a release that, even if it ultimately means very little in the grand scheme of things, is far more satisfying than a thousand shootouts or cataclysmic explosions.

The acting in the film is simply phenomenal. The four leads are perfect, and they are matched by one of the best supporting ensembles every assembled. Chloë Sevigny turns in fine work as Graysmith’s longsuffering second wife. Donal Logue is dead-on as a detective working the case in another jurisdiction; it’s one of the most honest portrayals of a cop I’ve ever seen. Brian Cox is slimily brilliant as attorney Melvin Belli. And John Carroll Lynch and Charles Fleischer (yes, that Charles Fleischer), playing individuals whose identities I wouldn’t dare reveal, are incredibly unsettling in their scenes.      

This Director’s Cut restores roughly six minutes Fincher was forced to excise before the film’s theatrical release. The largest single reinstatement comes in the form of a scene in which Toschi, Anderson, and their boss (played here by Dermot Mulroney) have a conversation with a district attorney who is on the other end of a speakerphone. It’s nothing more than several minutes of three men who want to get a search warrant rattling off information while an unseen party listens, but I think it’s the most dynamic scene in the film, one that encapsulates exactly what it is that makes Zodiac so great. (I also don’t understand how the film could work without it, as it encapsulates just what a herculean undertaking this case was.)

THE VIDEO

Zodiac was shot using Viper HD cameras, and the raw footage was post-processed to give much of the film a yellowish cast, almost as if the images were being projected onto old newsprint. The 2.35:1/1080p transfer captures this look flawlessly, and also flawlessly presents the later passages of the story, during which the image becomes more naturally looking, with the colors becoming brighter and slightly more vivid. Black levels throughout are perfect. The level of detail is exemplary, and depth is simply fantastic (the entire frame is often perfectly in focus, a move that’s critical to the dense storytelling).

THE AUDIO

The length of the film made the inclusion of a lossless audio track impossible, but that’s nothing to cry about, as the Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio is outstanding. The sound design doesn’t provide the type of aural assault you’d expect from a Fincher film, but it’s still impeccably crafted.

Surround action is largely relegated to ambient sounds that help create an air of sonic verisimilitude (typewriters in the newsroom, ringing phones in the police stations, clinking glasses in a bar), although there are a few strategically placed discrete effects. Dialogue is the real driving force here, and it always sounds completely natural, and care has been taken to reproduce the sonic colorations of the various settings and locations.

David Shore’s spare score sounds excellent, as do the period songs employed throughout the film (you’ll never think of Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” quite the same way after seeing Zodiac). Realism is the intent here, and the track never fails. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.

THE EXTRAS

The extras may not look like much at first glance, but the quality here far outweighs the quantity. You’ll be treated to a comprehensive look at the film’s production, as well as an in-depth survey of the real-life events behind the story. And with the exception of the Previsualization material, all of the video-based extras are presented in Hi-Def.

Disc 1:

The commentary by David Fincher leaves no stone unturned, and it’s as interesting as it is thorough. Fincher engagingly discusses the true-life events, the film’s alterations to said events, the evolution of the script, minute technical details, etc.

The commentary by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey, Jr., Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt, and James Ellroy has been spliced together from two different recording sessions (the actors were recorded in their own session, the other three participants in there own), but it never feels disjointed. Gyllenhaal and Downey jokingly comment on the shoot and Fincher’s work ethic, but they also provide some good info on the men they portray.

The other half of the track is where this one really shines, with Fischer (one of the producers) and Vanderbilt adding their perspective to many of the subjects Fincher touches upon in his track, and somehow managing to come up with a few new topics. Ellroy (author of L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia), who’s a huge fan of the film, marvels over the filmmakers’ achievements, provides his own perspective on the theme of obsession (his mother’s murder is still unsolved, and he’s still consumed by it), expounds on the moral of Moby Dick, and explains why he hates Ione Skye’s father (it’s a hilarious story).

Disc 2 features all of the video-based extras:

Zodiac Deciphered (56 minutes) is a making-of documentary that traces the film’s history from the time Vanderbilt came aboard on through production. Behind-the-scenes footage is interspersed with interviews featuring Vanderbilt (who gets more time than just about everyone else combined), Fischer, Graysmith, etc. Fincher is absent, but given that he covers so much ground in his commentary, it’s not much of an omission.

The Visual Effects of Zodiac (15 minutes) covers the film’s excellent CG effects, which are more numerous than you might expect. 

Previsualization split-screen comparisons are included for the three murder sequences featured in the film. The original animatics are contrasted side-by-side with the finished scenes. (SD)

This is the Zodiac Speaking (100 minutes) is an excellent documentary covering the murders confirmed to have been committed by the Zodiac. Vintage news footage regarding the crimes and investigation is mixed with interviews with two survivors of the attacks and several of the cops who worked the case.  

His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen (43 minutes) focuses on the prime suspect in the case, providing interviews with several of Allen’s acquaintances, Graysmith, many of the same police officers interviewed in the above doc, and criminologists who have studied the crimes.  

Closing out the extras is the film’s theatrical trailer.

FINAL THOUGHT

One of the best films of 2007 receives what will undoubtedly be one of 2008’s best home video presentations. The Director’s Cut of Zodiac is a must own.