Well to prove you wrong BKB, still in my teens for two more months before Im 20, this film was fucking Amazing. Shame on those that think this movie is too long, I was literally enthralled the entire time. The story is brilliant and the way it is told really does put you right in the time period. I loved that they all went to see Dirty harry. The killings were not necessarily brutal, but the suspense leading up and the nature were pure craftwork.

Anyone that compares this two Seven hasn't seen this film. Its in nature similiar, but its more about the obsession that each of the three leads go through during the different decades. And the ending shot is really one of the best things I've seen in a while, I was so "OMG" at the end. The film is exciting and thrilling as well as entertaining and interesting. Its a film I could buy as being a true story, despite the actual outcome of the event.

I give it a strong A+ and I think it could very well be Fincher's best work, I'll need to see a few more times. PS, all the acting was phenominal, I wished Robert Downey Jr didnt really fade away in the 2nd half of the film though, he was top notch as always, but Gyllenhaul and Ruffalo were amazing as well.

A+ best film I've seen in a while, and this comes from loving the Departed and many more films the last few years.

Fincher needs to get his ass in that directing chair way more often, he's the reason why this movie is as good as it is. The attention to detail and his camera work are spot on, right from the beginning he gets you hooked into the 60's setting, one of the best openings to a film in quite awhile.

I never followed or knew a whole lot about the Zodiac killings, even though I live in the Bay Area, so it was THAT much more interesting to me. Eventually the movie goes off of the Zodiac killer and more into the minds of the characters that are pursuing the case and how obsessed they get regarding it, their semi-breakdown. Theres just sooo many layers to the film and one is deeper then the next, Fincher is a masterful director and this film stands out as much as the rest of his films.

Grade - A-

Absolutely riveting from start to finish. The real-life case that drives this movie is so fascinating and Fincher did an immaculate job in presenting such a sprawling narrative. It's a challenging movie to watch, as you have to pay real close attention to get everything out of it. You get into a groove watching it, building momentum as the hours turn into days, the days into months/years. I was always trying to put things together and at the same time, was thirsting for more.

Zodiac follows the obsessions of three different men, all of whom have their own motivations for following the case. Downey's character just wants to sell more papers, Ruffalo wants to bring the Zodiac to justice and Gyllenhaal is fascinated by the mystery and seeks to learn about why he does what he does. All three actors do great work here, the whole cast is uniformly fantastic for that matter, with perhaps Ruffalo being the standout. I just love these kinds of movies where a character will follow all kinds of leads as he slowly gets closer and closer to the truth (JFK, A Few Good Men, Courage Under Fire, etc). The passage of time in this case is really what's mind boggling. That it wasn't until years after the murders that Robert got so impassioned and even crazier that that guy who survived the attack at the beginning of the film didn't come forth with an ID until 1991. You can't make this shit up. So is there a general consensus that Leigh Allen was the Zodiac, or did that DNA mis-match from the letter really negate all the heaps of evidence that was against him? Very interesting...

Fincher is fast becoming one of my favourite directors after films like Seven, Fight Club, The Game and now Zodiac under his belt. I could see this material being very difficult to condense into a feature film and present it in a coherent fashion, yet Fincher and the screenwriter manage this perfectly. At two and a half hours, the movie never lulls or loses its focus. David's camera work is perhaps less frenzied than some of this other films, but we are still presented with some memorable shots and sequences. The opening dolly along the street was very cool, as was the overhead cab sequence, the shot above the golden gate bridge and that sweet time-lapse of the building being constructed to show passage of time. The murder scenes are among the most shocking I've ever witnessed. Specifically, the one at the lake which starts almost comical (with the Zodiac's appearance), ends in the most brutally realistic stabbing I've ever seen in a movie. My mouth was agape after that.

Also of note is how well the time period was recreated on film. The cinematography in particular is oscar worthy and there is great detail in the set design and costumes.

Unless this year stuns with endless amazing films, I believe Zodiac will be in my top 5 next January.

A+

Near excellence. I was really impressed with the performers, actually. Fincher, of course, delivered a great atmosphere. More thoughts later.... Asomething.

I walked out of this film, basically, breathless. Or at the very least, physically exhausted (a cliche I'd hate to ever use, except it's true. My legs and chest were honestly like, weak. Probably from lack of breathing.)

Yes, it is amazing. The story is fascinating, and the film's style is perfect. Most importantly, though, the direction is superb...keeps this overly long (or normally would be) film moving at a perfect pace and kept me completely enthralled. The visuals, score, costumes, acting, were perfect depictions of the periods and I felt like I was there.

There's a problem or two (well, there was when I watched it; I've already forgotten what they were), but honestly...it is just so so great.

I'm horrified to not be able to say its the best of the year (though it was for about 20 minutes.)

Saw this tonight, and all I can say is brilliant. The fact that it was based on real life cases was even more interesting. I thought Downey and Gylenhal's performances were great. The story was just fascinating. I still was a little confused about the Rick Marshall, his creepy friend with the basement, and the guy on the phone. Were they just messing with him? But I just can't stop thinking about the film. Obviously Leigh was the most obvious candidate with the zodiac watch, military boots, reference to dangerous game, and limp. But, he failed the handwriting test? Hmm...so for anyone who actually knows, was Leigh the killer for sure?

By the way. A+... Best movie i have seen in a long time.

Thats the thing, he never gave a handwriting test, it was based on material supposedly by him, the same thing with Marshall. Thats one thing I was suprised about, I wanted to know more about the guy at the end, the friend of Rick Marshall. I was so freaked out, because like Gyllenhaul, I was waiting for the guy to pull out a gun and go all ape shit, I loved that Red Herring. We never got to see them, and seemed equally creepy. I think it is cool though that all the characters are the same. The Zodiac book actually by Robert's character couldnt use Lee's real name in the book, but this didnt hold any bars.

Zodiac: 8/10 (A-)

Here is a perfect example of a film that is just too long for it's own good. The last hour of the film could've been cut down a great deal. The whole thing with Gyllenhaal trying to track down the Zodiac killer was too tedious and annoying to sit through. Before that, the film was absolutely perfect. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but I'd also be lying if I said I didn't get a damn good film. Before the last hour, I got an exciting, interesting and intense film.

Also, the response from the audience was so-so. Most were saying after the first half hour it got boring but the couple sitting behind the three of us seemed to love it. I'll definitely recommend it. Still, it isn't as good as Fight Club.

Zodiac is probably one of the single greatest pieces of American pop-cinema I've ever seen. To me, even though they couldn't be more stylistically or tonally apart, it's everything the Departed wanted to be in that sense. It's a sprawling, two and a half hour masterpiece that feels like it's thirty minutes. Deeply intoxicating and mesmerizing, Zodiac displays the fact that Fincher has matured as an artist on nearly every level imaginable. He has crafted a film that will be remembered and discussed long after he's gone.

I think the most telling moment is when Graysmith goes to the prison to talk with Linda Ferrin, and when he reveals he is there to discuss the Zodiac, she says something along the lines of "I should have known, you look like them." The line isn't discussed any further than that, but to me it sums up the film and what it is about. The people that have been there before Graysmith (and surely will come after) all look the same - hollow, emotionally drained shells. The obsession with Zodiac has lead them down a path they can't return from. It's interesting to think about - did the Zodiac in fact ruin a greater number of lives by just existing than the number that were directly impacted by the crimes he committed?

There is also a very interesting theme running throughout the film concerning cinema and it's impact on our lives and how we perceive things because of it that I'd like to explore thoroughly, but don't feel comfortable doing on just one viewing.

Zodiac is not only stylistically masterful like Fincher's previous work (but it should be noted that it's a different, better style in this film), but it also has layers of depth you can truly dig into and work with. It is his best film, and one of the very best films I've seen in a long time, period.

****

i guess brown people see faults others don't

Agreed especially on this chunk - the delve from interest to obsession in all of the characters was the most fascinating aspect. All of the actors pulled it off superbly.

My only complaint or rather a question, maybe someone whose read the book knows more.

How come there was never a resolve with Rick Marshall, that freaky as hell guy that wrote just like the Zodiac on his posters and Greysmith thought was going to kill him, then seemed to forget about, and Walter Penny the guy that informed him. I'm so intrigued, I can't wait to see a directors cut for perhaps its answered in there, I mean there were great scenes of Robert Downey Jr that were in the tailer not in the film. "I have a gun" scene, its obvious the informant scene, but I still wanted to see that, and his character certainly does fade away halfway through. From what I hear the first cut of the film was well over 3 hours, so hears hoping to more.

The current running time is 2hours and 40 minutes, I would say theres at least another 1 hour of great footage that was cut from the film. Bring on a directors cut.

And PS to BKB, while I think I agree that he may have been caught, its still very very brilliant the way he killed people, and there is still a Zodiac Cypher that was never cracked, even today, this guy fucking boggles my mind. Luckily serial killers in this day and age are no where near as clever as this guy was. And the one guy that eventually died was only a lead suspect, it still might not have been him, its insane to think about.

The creepy guy with the film reels in his basement was Bob Vaughn. Rick Marshall worked with/for him as a projectionist and is never seen in the movie. And yeah, it is kind of forgotten about once Graysmith visits the girl in prison and gets back on the Leigh Allen bandwagon.

I know all that, I was wondering if there was more to the story

I didnt expect much from the movie and was hestitant about it because of the running time. Pretty much exceeded my expectations and they didnt try to ham up the film like the Black Dahlia. I actually was interested in how the whole case changed the lives of the three characters and I love the percision of the clues of narrowing down suspects and then writing them off only to jump back at them again.John Carroll Lynch as one of the suspects has a really creep feel to him and hes surely underrated, I think most people just know him from the Drew Carrey Show.

9/10 A

Zodiac

I enjoyed my viewing of Zodiac today as I pigged out on a pickle, hot dog and popcorn and a cup of Dr. Pepper. I thought the story was interesting and well presented and had some good moments of suspense. I thought the acting was well done by most although the role of Sevigny could have been done by an unknown. How about not putting oscar nominees in roles where they do so little. I thought the ending was a just conclusion to the film. I enjoyed the use of sound in the picture and the time lapse video of the building was a nice insert. Overall, I found the film very satisfying although not overwhelming, but it was good.

grade - B

Too long, but unsettling and tremendously well-filmed. I think, with some more effective editing, it could've been a great movie. Instead, it settles for being a pretty good one. Either way, this is a rewarding picture. B+

I was enthralled all the way through its ridiculously long time. Darkly funny, superbly acted (Robert Downey Jr. as a flamboyantly hard-edged journalist is terrific), amazing cinematography, sometimes creepy... thank God they put out a good movie in March.

Question: Wasn't Dirty Harry inspired by the Zodiac killings?

A-

Yes, althou it was a pretty loose take on it.

But even so it came out during the height of the zodiac popularity. I loved how unsettled they were when watching it, and Greysmiths telling the cop the ending of the film.