Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images.
Directed by David Fincher (Panic Room, Fight Club, Se7en…)
Staring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox…
Most people over 35 probably remember hearing about the Zodiac killer in the news during the 60’s and the 70’s. I do… because it was in my city.
I was born in the Bay area of California in the early 70’s. Most of the killings happened within an hour of my house. The Zodiac killer was never found… and this movie is the true story (based on the books by Robert Graysmith) of the murders and those that tried to capture him.
Zodiac was a fantastic film, an authentic glimpse of these true life events. The cast is filled with talent and performances were above par. The attention to detail is mind-boggling. The cars, buildings and wardrobe are spot on. The film offers some fun glimpses at San Francisco as it grew in the 70’s including a time lapse shot of the Transamerica Building being built.
I have to give a shout out to the director David Fincher. David has a “Hitchcockian” eye that cares about camera movement and position. Some people won’t notice this consciously, but Fincher’s perspectives help the film’s pace and flow. I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how he did a simple shot from directly above a cab driving through the city. It seemed too fluid to be a helicopter. It looked like it was almost on rails (500 feet in the sky).
Fincher has always cared about camera position and movement… from the sinister POV shots in Alien 3, to the creative sequences in Fight Club. I always look forward to his films.
Some people commented on this film’s length (2 hours and 40 minutes long). I didn’t think the film “felt” long at all. The story kept me captivated from the first minute until the credits rolled. Long films don’t bother me if they’re good. One of my favorite films of all time is Heat (over 3 hours). Just don’t drink a Big Gulp before walking in the theatre.
I highly recommend Zodiac.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I wouldn’t let young kids see it, but teenagers might enjoy it. It has no sex or nudity (there was only one quick glimpse at some police photos that someone thumbed through… nothing really clear) and only has a couple scenes with violence. One of them (a stabbing) was pretty hard to watch, not because it was gory (there was no gore at all), but because Fincher made it seem so quick and real. It’s bizarre, but I’ve seen Samarai films with blood squirting out of people’s necks… and Fincher’s goreless stabbing scene was more difficult for me to stomach (probably because of the reality of what was going on… and I knew it actually happened).
If you’ve seen Silence of the Lambs, Seven or even the CSI TV shows, Zodiac will not be hard too watch. Zodiac is actually mild in comparison. Its content could probably could be compared to In the Line of Fire or The Fugitive.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
