Fuel the Fear

Review Written By: Gaius Bolling

Release Date: March 2, 2007

"I LIKE KILLING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN IT IS MORE FUN THAN KILLING WILD GAME IN THE FORREST BECAUSE MAN IS THE MOST DANGEROUS ANAMAL OF ALL TO KILL SOMETHING GIVES ME THE MOST THRILLING EXPERENCE IT IS EVEN BETTER THAN GETTING YOUR ROCKS OFF WITH A GIRL THE BEST PART OF IT IS THAT WHEN I DIE I WILL BE REBORN IN PARADICE AND ALL THE I HAVE KILLED WILL BECOME MY SLAVES I WILL NOT GIVE YOU MY NAME BECAUSE YOU WILL TRY TO SLO DOWN OR STOP MY COLLECTING OF SLAVES FOR MY AFTERLIFE" - The Zodiac

"Zodiac" is one of those films that deserved way more attention than it actually received when it was initially released. The film was a critical success but it stalled at the box office. It's really unfortunate because the film was one of the best of 2007. This website is all about horror and "Zodiac" is trully what horror is about. It's suspensful, full of mystery, and at times, it's pretty scary. Perhaps it's the realistic brutality of all the events that transpire during the film. In any event, Zodiac is one of the best serial killer thrillers to come out in recent years.

I wasn't even thought of when the Zodiac Killer struck fear in the hearts of everyone living in Northern California beginning in the late 60's but it is a story I have heard many times. While the situations of the victims are incredibly tragic, there is no denying the allure of the subject matter. I don't like to glorify serial killers but, in the case of some of them, there is something about their methods that grab our attention. Some have called the Zodiac Killer, the grandfather of the modern American serial killier, and this film makes a strong case for that claim.

Based on the 1986 "true crime" book by Robert Graysmith, the movie looks back on one of the nation's most sinister unsolved crimes: the Northern California serial killings by the so-called "Zodiac killer." Although no arrest was ever made and the case now resides on the SFPD's inactive list, many journalists, cops, and investigators had their own "favorite" candidates for the identity of Zodiac. The movie follows the hunt by cartoonist-turned-writer Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he seeks to unmask the villain.

During its first hour, Zodiac unfolds along three parallel trajectories. The killer systematically eliminates victims (the crimes are re-enacted based on the survivor testimony contained in Graysmith's book). The police, led by detectives Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) investigate and collect clues. And newspaper people like Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and Graysmith fill the papers with speculation and fact. Then, a little more than a third of the way through the film, the Zodiac killer's spree stops and the movie chronicles Graysmith's obsessive hunt to uncover his identity. He conducts interviews, pours over old files, and eventually comes up with the perfect suspect: Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch), who is damned by circumstantial evidence.

Zodiac is almost three film in one. During the first hour or so you have a very suspenseful and sometimes frightening serial killer thriller. Audiences who love tension and suspense, will find a lot to like about this portion of the film. The Zodiac's murders are re-created with nearly precise detail to the facts, which make them all the more tragic and horrifying. The murder that opens the film (the second case of the Zodiac striking, according to case files) makes for a very uncomfortable opening scene. I think it will have people thinking twice about trying to hook up on "Lover's Lane". The second murder depicted in the film, which takes place during broad daylight, actually had me on the edge of my seat. David Fincher does a great job of building suspense during this scene and your fear grows with theirs, as the Zodiac draws closer. The helplessness of these two victims, is almost too hard to watch. The third murder, which involves the execution of a cab driver, is quick and unexpected. It also gives us a glimpse into how smart this guy actually was. He breaks his pattern with this endeavor to throw off police and eventually uses it as a way to taunt both law enforcement and the media.

The second hour plays like a souped up version of Law & Order. I mean this as a compliment because, for me, the police procedural portion of this film was quite fascinating. It's interesting how miscommunication and a lack of resources, can truly damage a case. For example, when the Zodiac kills the cab driver, there are witnesses to the crime but since he is wearing all black, the word gets out that they are looking for an African American suspect. This is later corrected, but not before two officers actually stop and question the Zodiac and send him on his way because he doesn't fit the profile. It seems like a lot of the work with fingerprints and DNA was still in its primitive stages then because they can never seem to get a usable print to aide them in their investigation. There are several trips to a handwriting expert to examine The Zodiacs letter but it disqualifies many suspects and some potential suspects, don't even have their handwriting analyzed due to miscommunication. If you're into real life cases of this nature then this portion of the film will leave you feeling completely satisfied.

The final portion of the film deals with obssession and it shows the audience how one can "lose their life" devoting themselves to a case. Robert Graysmith goes from boy-scout cartoonist who wants to help, to someone solely driven by discovering who The Zodiac is. He begins to neglect his family and he can only function when working on trying to ressurect the case after The Zodiac goes silent for 3 years. He even makes a foolish mistake by putting his name and face out there to the media, so the Zodiac can see. Since this film is based on Graysmith book, the film isn't too impartial about who it believes Zodiac was. Arthur Leigh Allen was his favorite suspect and the film presents incredible evidence to suggest he was. Even though the film states the case remains unsolved (Allen died of a heart attack before any new charges could be brought against him) I think audiences will be satisfied that the film does provide you with some angle on who might've been the Zodiac Killer. This makes its conclusion much better than that of The "Black Dahlia".

Visually Zodiac is compelling but it's not as strong as some of Fincher's earlier work. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because Zodiac is shot beautifully on digital video and it does look amazing. However, those looking for some of Fincher's signature visual touches may be a bit disappointed. For myself, the digital video substituted well for some of his visual tricks. There is a nice overhead shot of cars driving down the Golden Gate Bridge (also shown in the trailers) and there is a nifty time lapse sequence that has a building being constructed to show how much time is changing. Many of the Zodiac attacks are wonderfully shot, with the scene by the lake, being a true standout.

The acting is relatively top notch. Jake Gyllenhaal is effective as Graysmith. Sometimes I'm thrown by how young he comes off (the film spans nearly 22 years but somehow he doesn't seem to age) but there is no denying that he is a good actor. He effectively plays the "boy scout" aspect of the character well and he is also strong during Graysmith's bouts of obessions as he begins to investigate the case. Robert Downey Jr is in top form as Paul Avery and he brings his usual wit to the role. It's nice to see him doing solid work. For Mark Ruffalo, I think this may be some of his best work. He's a good dramatic actor and he even handles some of the comedy that the character provides, very well. I've never really seem him standout, until now. Anthony Edwards is also strong as his partner and they have wonderful chemistry together. Nice to see that he's getting work, post ER. Even Brian Cox, swings by for a nice little extended cameo as Melvin Belli and he steals his share of scenes. John Carroll Lynch is suitably creepy as Arthur Leigh Allen and he does this with doing anything too overt. Good job on his part.

I know the running time was an issue for some (it clocks in at nearly 3 hours) when it was released in theaters but it truly moves at a brisk pace. If we want more films like this made we definitely need to show our support. David Fincher has crafted his own little thriller masterpiece that should be remembered for years to come. Its attention to detail and his devotion to the subject matter comes across well on screen. Definitely check this one out.

Trivia:

Shane Salerno optioned the Robert Graysmith book "Zodiac" when he was just nineteen years old and developed it with Graysmith for several years before selling it to Disney's Touchstone Pictures in a seven-figure deal. Salerno wrote several drafts of the screenplay before multiple administration changes at Touchstone derailed the project.
Edited using Final Cut Pro.
The role of Linda Ferrin was initially played by Bijou Phillips. Her scenes needed to be re-shot but Phillips was not available due scheduling conflicts, so the role went to Clea DuVall.
Ione Skye appears in this movie in an uncredited cameo. "Hurdy Gurdy Man", by her father, Donovan, is used prominently in the soundtrack.
The cipher mailed to the Chronicle in the movie was actually mailed to the Examiner.
Philip Baker Hall had also previously starred in The Zodiac (2005), another film adaptation of the Zodiac Killer. He played Frank Perkins.
Scenes of Dave Toschi and Robert Graysmith watching Dirty Harry (1971) were filmed inside the Mann National Theatre in Westwood, CA. The garish color schemes of the movie theater were not added by the art department. The very retro interiors of the theater have remained unchanged since 1969, when the National was first built. Interestingly, "Zodiac" played at the Mann National Theatre in mid March of 2007. Thus, moviegoers watched other moviegoers occupy their seats - on the National's trademark large screen. The theater has since been torn down.
Was sent to theaters under the name "Gemini".
The cab scene on Washington and Cherry Streets in San Francisco could not be entirely shot in San Francisco due to filming restrictions and the opposition of the neighborhood residents. So, a set of the intersection, including the street, apartments and crime scene was constructed at Downey Studios just outside of Los Angeles, California. Backdrops of San Francisco were digitally inserted to complete the scene. Only a few seconds of actual footage shot in the original crime scene location remains in the scene.
The Warner Bros. and Paramount logos used at the start of the film are almost identical to the ones used by the respective studios in 1969, but not completely. In the case of Warner Bros., their 1969 releases did not use their classic shield as depicted here, but instead carried a "Warner Bros.-Seven Arts" logo used when the studio had merged with Ray Stark and Eliot Hyman's production company Seven Arts. As for the Paramount logo, where it would have read "A Gulf+Western company" in 1969, it now reads "A Viacom company," reflecting current ownership.
Robert Graysmith and Paul Avery were not actually friends. Their relationship is fictionalized for the film.
Dave Toschi in real life was the inspiration for Steve McQueen's performance in Bullitt (1968). In the film, Graysmith mentions that Toschi wears his gun like Bullitt. Avery replies that Bullitt got it from Toschi.
Variety reported on 6 July 2005 that Gary Oldman had signed to portray attorney Melvin Belli in this film. On 14 February 2006, Gary Oldman's management company, The Douglas Management Group, issued a statement that a story in the Hollywood Reporter indicating that Mr. Oldman acted in the film was not true, and that "Mr. Oldman is not in the film and never was." However, in an interview on 2 March 2007 with Cinematical, the "Zodiac" author Robert Graysmith stated, "Now we had Gary Oldman at one point, to play Melvin Belli. He went to a lot of trouble, they had appliances, but just physically it wasn't going to work, he just didn't have the girth."
The film was shot in 110 days.
Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2007 (#05, tied with "La France").
Zodiac's confirmed [as of yet] first murder on Lake Herman Rd. was excluded from the film on the basis that there was no surviving victim to corroborate details. In the spirit of accuracy, the crew decided to not include the Lake Herman killings and to instead begin with the July 4th crime, considered to be his second action of murder.
This film pays homage to Dirty Harry (1971), whose foe, Scorpio, was based on the Zodiac murderer. Another fictional policeman also encountered a foe called Scorpio around this time. In the Robert Graysmith book, they note that around the time of the Zodiac murders, the police investigated a possible connection to the Dick Tracy comic strip, as Dick Tracy faced a Zodiac-themed gang directed by a mastermind called Scorpio.
In order to save time, David Fincher decided to digitally add all the blood in the murder scenes.
The producers hired a private investigator to track down the real-life Zodiac survivor, Mike Mageau.
The real-life Zodiac survivor, Bryan C. Hartnell, makes a cameo with his wife in the police station.
One of the trails mentioned in the film is connection between Zodiac's killings and the movie The Most Dangerous Game (1932). There's some footage included. This movie tells a story of Count Zarloff, who is hunting on his deserted island for 'the most dangerous animal' - which is obviously the man.
In the flyover shot of the early construction of the Transamerica Pyramid, the "box" foundation is completely devoid of any piles or columns. Unlike most conventional high-rise foundations, the Pyramid was uniquely constructed without any piles driven into the bedrock. The weight of the building actually rests on trusses at the first two levels, and the trusses rest on top of this "box".
Though Callahan's Diner was a set built for the film, the Callahan's Diner logo and window script is identical to that used by Callahan's Diner at 1213 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. It's quite likely that members of the cast and/or crew of the film were familiar with the Santa Monica restaurant and used it as an art model for the San Francisco locale. The "Dirty Harry" reference inherent in the Diner's name may simply be an added plus.
Even though Jake Gyllenhaal was David Fincher's first choice for the role of Robert Graysmith, had Gyllenhaal turned the role down, Fincher's second choice was Orlando Bloom.

Despite rave reviews, the film was not a huge box office hit. Opening in 2,362 theaters on March 2, 2007, the film grossed $13.3 million in its opening weekend, placing second and posting a decent per-theater average of $5,671. The film was easily outgrossed by fellow opener Wild Hogs and saw a decline of over 50% in its second weekend, losing out to the record-breaking 300. It grossed $33 million in North America and $51 million in the rest of the world, bringing its current total to $84 million, above its estimated $75 million production budget

Review: Zodiac (2007)