Originally published July 30, 2020
It is such an honor to get to write about our #1 flop, David Fincher’s 2007 film Zodiac. It is a film that I am truly shocked was a flop. Not only is it a fantastic, gripping thriller, but on the surface it has so much going for it. With iconic films like Se7en, Fight Club, and Panic Room under his belt it seems like Fincher’s work is something people would flock to the theater for. Plus, there is the insane ensemble cast–the film stars Jake Gyllenhal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.–so it is the who’s who of people who would eventually star in the Marvel movie franchise. And then there is probably the most interesting reason in my book which is that people love serial killers, true crime, and cold cases. Right now, HBO is airing I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, the series adaptation of Michelle MacNamara’s book on the Golden State Killer. We love learning about these people and the inhuman things that they do. Plus the Zodiac was one of the most prolific serial killers during the late 60s and (even though we all thought it was Ted Cruz for a while) to this day has never been found.
The film is an adaptation of the book written by Robert Graysmith who worked as a cartoonist at The San Francisco Chronicle when the killings started. Graysmith (Gyllenhal) is fascinated when his newspaper starts to receive letters and cryptic codes from the Zodiac who at that point had attacked two sets of couples. Because of his interest in codes he teams up with the crime writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) to try and learn more about the killer. They eventually cross paths with Inspector David Toschi (Ruffalo) who has been assigned to investigate the case. With his letters and threats of future killings the Zodiac creates a cloud of terror over the Bay Area and seems to be the only thing people can think about. These three men who become obsessed with the killer and even though the Zodiac seemingly stops killing, and eventually stops writing. Even as years pass, and as most people move on from the case, they cannot let this killer go and the search for his identity ends up deeply affecting and defining their lives.
When Zodiac came out in 2007, I was your average female sophomore in High School who dreamed of becoming a criminal profiler. I even kept a notebook where I would come up with profiles for both real and fake serial killers. I was of course thrilled when this came out and remember watching it with my mom and sisters. I have watched it several times since then and I still think it is as entertaining and unsettling as it was the first time around. The film is over 2 and a half hours long but it never actually feels that long. It moves swiftly and is intriguing the whole way through.
The Zodiac only had five confirmed murders attributed to him, and most of those you see within the first 30-45 minutes of the film. Yet Fincher is still able to keep an air of suspense, mystery, and terror throughout the rest of the film. The film essentially just follows these main characters as they talk to one another, interview suspects/witnesses, and discuss details of the crimes to others. On the surface that sounds a little dry and boring but watching them piece together clues and work through details of the crimes ends up being so fascinating, especially for true crime fans. It ends up feeling like you are working the case with them and when new details are brought up it is so easy to follow what that information means for the investigation.
It is amazing how invested you become in all of the characters and what solving this case would mean to them. Across the board the acting in the film is fantastic, all of the cast adds details to their characters that make them feel real. Most importantly you get to see how this obsession drives them and how difficult it becomes for all of them to stay tethered to their real lives. Avery dives further down the hole of his addiction, Toschi’s loses his partner and his career ends up being on the line, and then Graysmith’s obsession becomes manic and pushes his wife and kids further away. As time goes on you see tiny details about how this obsession threatens their lives more than the killer himself.
My favorite part of the film is the level of suspense and terror that is kept up throughout the story. Because you know the Zodiac follows the news and is aware of who these men are, there is a constant threat of him potentially popping into their lives. If the phone rings it could be him, if a door is left ajar he might be there, if a character meets someone for the first time they might end up facing the killer. There is a scene close to the end of the film in which Robert Graysmith meets someone to ask about a potential suspect and the longer he is there the more likely it seems that this person could be the killer. That scene all these years later still manages to terrify me any time I am watching. Keeping up that level of suspense when nothing is actually going on is such impressive filmmaking.
This is an expertly directed film that looks and feels like an old Hollywood movie. Of course Fincher then goes on to do some more of my favorite work like Gone Girl and Mindhunter, which just goes on to show his talent for crafting amazing crime thrillers. With so much going for it, it is no surprise that Zodiac was our favorite flop at Cinema76. If you have not seen it I would highly suggest putting this on your watch list (available on Amazon and Netflix) and if you have seen it I suggest giving it a rewatch, there are so many details I picked up on that made it even more enjoyable watching it this time around.
The Neon Banshee 