Zodiac tell the true story of an unsolved serial killer in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s. He killed 5 people over 10 months and wrote letters to newspapers demanding they print cryptograms he created. He also claimed to have killed others, but the police don't believe he did those crimes. The film reenacts the murders, shows the police investigation and the journalists writing about the story.
It's directed by David Fincher of Se7en and Fight Club fame but it almost seems an anti-Fincher film. He's normally known for innovative camera work and aside from one scene where the text of the Zodiac's letters are overlayed on the scene there's none of that. In fact the film comes across very plain, reminding me a lot of All the President's Men but with prominent background music (a la Scorcese). A closer look reveals meticulous attention to detail in the historical accuracy of the settings, sets, clothes, props, etc. It's 2:40 long but there's a lot of information presented and there's really no wasted scenes. It's tight and engaging the whole way through.
It's based on a book by Robert Graysmith, who's portrayed in the film by Jake Gyllenhaal. There really isn't a single lead character, two others have large roles. Mark Ruffalo plays the dectective investigating and Robert Downey Jr. plays Paul Avery, the crime reporter of the San Francisco Chronical covering the case. The three of them show various sides of obsessing about the case. There are a lot of other character actors you'll recognize in the film. They all do a very good job.
At one point the Zodiac requests to talk with Melvin Belli on a live TV call-in show. Just before going on air the host mentions that he saw Belli on Star Trek and he says he played Gorgan. I knew the Star Trek episode but didn't know anything odd about the actor. it seems like such a random fact to include in the film as opposed to mentioning that Belli was a criminal defense and personal injury lawyer who defended Jack Ruby.
This is a very well done, if by-the-book, police procedural.
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