Zodiac (Widescreen Edition) by Paramount by David Fincher

By the end of Zodiac (2007), you really feel as though you've been through tumultuous decades of searching for a murderer. Director David Fincher bravely spares no investigation detail as two of the Zodiac case's real-life San Francisco detectives played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards and San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist, Rupert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) search through false trails and false starts again and again until their each left so jaded and purely obsessed that they just wish the case was over. John Carroll Lynch provides a wonderfully bone-chilling performance as the actual Zodiac killer, Arthur Leigh Allen, but he doesn't have the soulless emptiness in his eyes or face as anyone can see from one of the photos taken of Arthur Leigh Allen himself. David Fincher and his production designer, Donald Graham Burt, cinematographer Harris Savides. A.S.C., all create an amazingly assured sense of time and place.

Zodiac was not so well received when it comes out but it is one of those films that gets better the more you watch it. And it is not because it is a multilayered film with different levels of meaning, but because it's a deeply compelling, uncommon and atmospheric film.You watch it again because you want to feel again that sense of anguish, cold, disorientation, obsessive quest for justice and truth, and that feeling of old events in a past era where the film puts you into, an era where there were no mobile, computers, global networks to make a research and link all the dots.And because the photography, the music, the sound, the actors and the director, the script did a splendid job to develop a story that unfolds with no easy solutions, fast editing, and takes its time to let you flow with it. They could not change it since it is based on true facts and so you know that it could not end differently or you might even know what is expecting you, but this does not make it pointless: you still vibrate and get thrilled, share the fear and anxiety and drama of the characters, and realize that the real point of the film does not come from how it ends, but from how it got to the end, starting from the beginning. Jackie Gillenhall gives his best performance ever, because you can feel what really matters to FIncher: the obsession and sense of disorientation when you face a mystery and try to get the right connection, but still feel lost. Blu ray is truly excellent, showing a fantastic hd transfer

I enjoy movies of this genre and to be honest was not expecting much from this film. How wrong could I have been! Zodiac is up there with the best. It is a long film, but that adds to the real time feel of the feature. From the start to the end I was gripped; the horror of the crimes and their random modus operandi, the brilliant counter investigations of both journalists and police, the red herrings and blind alleys, the frustrations of the case. The acting is superb and the 60s and 70s setting plays a major role. Excellent film.

This is an outstanding film and I was really surprised that I had not seen it sooner.This is a story based upon the actual investigation to find the Zodiac killer who reportedly killed 37 people in San Francisco Bay area in the late '60s/'70s. Normally any film based on 'true crime' which I've seen has been quite low budget and a somewhat formulaic retelling of events, but this film is so fast paced and skillfully directed, with such good acting, that it reminds me a lot of "All The Presidents Men."Jake Gyllenhaal is outstanding as Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle, who takes it upon himself to find out who the Zodiac killer is. The other main actors are Robert Downey Jr as the lead reporter Paul Avery,(excellent as always) and Mark Ruffalo, who I've only seen in comedies, who is actually very good as Detective Toschi. The director is David Fincher who directed Se7en and Gone Girl. It's a film where you can't miss a second, and contains some really unnerving scenes, as well as (surprisingly) very funny moments.I see that this was the most reviewed film of 2007 after No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, and it has won quite a few awards (eg the Palme D'Or at Cannes). I honestly believe that this film would have done better at the Box Office had it not been for the way in which this type of subject matter is generally portrayed, I only rushed to buy the DVD myself after having seen some of the film on TV! Even the special feature is very good, it was extremely interesting to see how much work and research went into the film. It's a must.

Watching Zodiac for the 3rd time and it is more fascinating and engrossing each time..it can be a little confusing at times with all the theories and suspects but keeps you enthralled as you want to see the killer as much as the cops do.It has a very eerie atmosphere , probably due to the fact that the film is a true story based on real case files and makes you realise what a screwed up world we can live in when you think someone like this could be living in your street.Jake Gyllenhall, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey are all heavy weight in this and they keep the story gripping even tho it is rather slow paced..you always feel they are onto something only to be foiled at the last minute.You can feel the tension towards the end, wondering if they have finally cracked it , one particular scene near the end had the cinema i watched it in holding their breath and thinking OMG!.If you like true crime drama i'm sure this will be perfect for you and if you just like well told thrillers then you can't go to far wrong with this well acted, stylish film

The film is an excellent depiction of the 'Zodiac' killings and this special edition two disc version gives the viewer even more opportunity to understand what was occurring at that time and why the killer evaded capture. It also provides official police thoughts by officers from the case as to who they thought the killer might be which goes beyond the one thought of the film and the book it is based upon.