Much better than I expected. The running time didn't cause much impatience till the very end.

A-

Best so far of 2007. Although, that means nothing.

A little too long (which, although not painful like the recent Good Shepherd, still hurt the film a tad bit), but a great film, indeed. I guess I was more interested because I had like a whole project on the actual Zodiac killer recently, so I knew all the little details of the story, especially all the stuff about the prime suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen. I wish I didn't know anything beforehand, but it didn't really hurt the viewing. But as for the film itself, great, great work. Top notch performances, especially from Robert Downey Jr. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or Fincher's best work, but yeah, it's certainly a brilliantly-filmed piece of work that needs to be shortened a bit. B+

I got to say the Lake killing scene had something so unsettling and disturbing about it. Kind of reminds me of Last House on the Left. It wasnt anything gory at all but the whole tone about it with the Zodiac dressing up in some strange outfit in the middle of daylight and he was kind of stealthing about when the guy said to his girlfriend "hes just taking a leak"

I think he ended up filming it that way to give it Red Herring type of feel that this was going to have a hollywood type ending, he figures it out, but its too late, runs home, his family is missing. The one thing I did find cool was that they only stuck to the definite 8 confirmed victims of the Zodiac, though four survived (including mother and baby) despite the fact that the Zodiac did write a letter to chronicle stating Zodiac 37 SFPD 0. It would have been insane if he really did kill that many, which is very much possible considering how he changed the pattern.

Just checked the cast list, it looks like they had three different actors to play the zodiac killer, rather than having one of the suspects play it.

Just a short clip that stops at the point where the Zodiac pulls out his gun
http://www.ifilm.com/video/2822915

Yup the boyfriend was short of cowardly too "Stab me first...so I wont have to watch her get stabbed"

I found him more to be a dick than a coward. If a girl said that stuff to me, I would have at least gave him a look.

Wow, what a great movie. it was riveting and interesting from start to finish. the running time wasn't a problem because i became so engrossed in the movie. one of my early favorites of the year.

A

What a rare treat to get a great movie in the first half of the year (and March, no less!). Only the final 5 minutes disappoint. And I can forgive that. The length, which worried me, was not a problem but an asset.

I guess it would be pretty hard to get Oscars for both Downey and Ruffalo, huh?

Ruffalo? Really?

I thought he was kind of mediocre here.

Other than Downey, who was quite good, the acting was not one of Zodiac's strong points.

Overall very engaging throughout for its length. However, it's like solving one case twice, and eventually the story did take its toll. The basement scene and a few later ones are a little unnecessary; it attempted to introduce horror element into a drama, and that disrupted the tone and flow. I like that the story makes you think about circumstantial evidence vs. forensic evidence and shows there are cases where two contradict very much each other.

B+

It was a really good movie, but I didn't find it anywhere close to Fincher's best. It could have used some editing, but it still gets a recommendation. B+

A little long, but it was an extremely well-made movie. The acting was great, especially Downey. This year is shaping up to be amazing, with already two A-s.

A-

A question to those who saw it....had it been released in November/December last year would it have had any chances at awards or at least nominations?

Downey would have a shot at supporting.

so digital?

I would guess Cinematography as well. Those tracking shots were pretty delicious (lol).

Not Fincher's best, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. The soundtrack was spectacular, especially because we didn't hear the normal cliched 60's/70's songs. Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" in the closing credits was the best use of a song since Children of Men and "Crimson King". Ruffalo was also good and you could really feel the film slow down when his character left and Jake Gylenhall took over. I liked that the film stayed true to real life in that it arrived at no conclusions.

I found the lake scene to be one of the most difficult to watch scenes in my life. Perhaps it's because it was staged so well that my brain actually felt it was real. I got the same feeling in my stomach watching it as I did when I see something like people jumping out of the WTC or that Viet Kong guy being shot in the head (famous photo of it). Anyway, I gave the film a high B+.

I think so, too.

B+

A very good noir drama, that lacks a bit of emotional and character connection, personally. Fincher is operating at full level here though.

Incredibly stylish and fantastically directed, this is not Fincher's best only because Fight Club and Se7en are modern classics. It runs a bit long, but certainly doesn't feel two and a half hours, and is fully deserving of its length. It's basically two investigations in one, but it doesn't feel redundant because each character investigates different suspects and different aspects. The transition between the two halves stumbles a bit, but it soon regains form and leads into a great finish. The first half hour or so, basically just introducing the case, is terrific without much character development, but once the characters take over it's a whole other ballgame. As I said before, the only misstep is in the middle, but it's smooth sailing the rest of the way.

The cast ensemble is terrific with Downey Jr. clearly standing out, but Ruffalo, Gyllenhaal and Anthony Edwards (with hair!) are great also. The supporting players, consisting of many character actors, are somewhat underused but just make the cast all the better. I'd love for Downey Jr. to get some Oscar attention - he should have more than just the one nomination - but I wonder if the film is too early in the year. Still, his performance is fantastic - hilarious yet depressing at the same time. He really drives the beginning of the film, and it's too bad that he just fades away in the last half.

Fincher is rapidly becoming one of my favourite directors, with this, the aforementioned classics, and the underrated The Game all under his belt now. The way that pivotal scenes in this film are staged and shot only add to the brilliance of the flick, and make certain moments truly terrifying. From the opening shot, basically a tracking shot from within a car, the cinematography never falters, and scenes like the cab ride, the beach attack, and the time-elapse building are just highlights in a incredibly well-directed film.

It's not a perfect film, but the style is so innovative and the story so involving that it's pretty close. Perhaps some of it could have been edited down, but I really felt like it needed the lengthy running time to completely tell the story of the Zodiac. A great start to the year and a film that's likely to be in my top five at year's end.

A

Amazing work. I loved every minute of this.

The attention to detail and deep devotion Fincher has for the subject matter is clearly evident throu-out this film.

A stunning piece of cinema and one of the best of the year.

A