The true story of the Zodiac Killer is one that cinema audiences this side of the pond probably aren't that familiar with. Prior takes on the story have included some sleazy exploitation films from the early seventies and a recent straight to DVD clanger. On a more mainstream note there have been very loose interpretations seen in The Exorcist III and more famously in Don Siegel's 1971 crime masterpiece Dirty Harry (which also features in one of this movie’s more humorous scenes). A proper story on this mystery has been a long time coming...

The murders begin in San Francisco during the summer of 1969 with the shooting of a young couple inside their car. Soon afterwards the police and several newspapers receive a series of letters and cyphers written by a man calling himself the Zodiac. He claims to have carried out the attack and plans several more. The movie focuses on Dave Toschi's (Ruffalo) lengthy investigation of the Zodiac over a number of years. Thrown into the mix are Paul Avery (Downey Jr.), a reporter covering the murders and a political cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal), who would eventually write two books (which form the basis of the movie) on how their lives were ultimately affected by the elusive killer.

As you can tell the story is a bit of a white elephant as the Zodiac himself was never apprehended. Because of this, director David Fincher has decided that any story about the Zodiac is idle speculation at best; this in turn leaves for a challenging viewing experience. His approach is similar to Spike Lee's Summer of Sam; it avoids sensationalism as we see little of the Zodiac himself, and instead what we get is a very humane film about paranoia coupled with the obsession and frustration of trying to catch a killer. Certain scenes will come across as pointless to some viewers as the leads go nowhere. In effect you have the truest possible tale which is thrillingly told through-out and even has the gall to criticise Graysmith's character objectively with an ambiguous ending. If there is a major criticism then it would have to be the focus on Graysmith's family. Here we have a marital breakdown which is given little focus and is left completely unresolved.

The acting from everyone involved is superb, particularly Robert Downey Jr, who is a joy to watch and offers a number of humorous moments in between what is ultimately a bleak story. The only misstep is Chloë Sevigny as Graysmith’s wife, who is given too little to do. Another element that’s key to the films success is the use of music, though not entirely the best selection, it captures the atmosphere perfectly, particularly Donavan’s extra creepy ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’.

Anyone looking for a fictionalized sensationalist film ala Seven may come out disappointed, but if you’re looking for something challenging, yet thrilling, then Fincher’s latest delivers in abundance.

by Conor Flynn