| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A- |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Best story Ive seen in a long time
by joseph (movies profile)
Feb 13, 2008
49
of
57 people found this review helpful
May I begin by saying I nearly passed on Zodiac because I have yet to take a liking to Jake Gyllenhaal or Robert Downey Jr. It wasn't long into the movie when I forgot my opinion of these actors and was immersed in the characters they portrayed.
The film is based on northern California cold-case serial murders committed by the infamous man who declared himself the Zodiac killer. Although the story begins with and developes around the gruesome violence of such a murderer, it transforms into a gripping tale of misfortune in the lives of those who chased him.
Included in that bunch are:
Robert Graysmith(Gyllenhaal)-- a modest and shy newspaper cartoonist who is fascinated by the Zodiac killers codes and letters.
David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo)-- a savvy and dedicated San Francisco cop/detective.
AND.. Paul Avery (Downy)-- a brilliant and driven reporter/substance abuse addict.
Zodiac takes you from the developement of a shrewd murderer through his derranged career as he leads the city of San Francisco on a terror filled chase for a number of years. Those who were determined to find him however, followed for decades. Some risked and lost careers, prestige, and even family to do so.
The film is almost two in one. Nearly half way through, the early energy is revived as one character becomes an even bigger player in the seemingly lost battle to solve the puzzle.
The cast work very well together to produce an oscar worthy film. That being said there are a couple things that will prevent this film from cashing in at the awards' ceremonies. Those being the timing of release and the perfect character blend. Ruffalo's portrayal of Dave Toschi was fantastic,even brillint, but all performances were good enough that no single role was over-shadowed by another. This is not true for just lead roles either. My praise is extended to Toschi's investigating partner, the S.F. police chief (Dermot Mulroney), an attorney (Brian Cox), the killer himself, other suspects and even their acquaintances. This made Zodiac a pleasure to watch.
As a side note I do have a complaint. I think recent movie marketing schemes have gone awry. All of the previews that I personally saw for this film were based solely on code cracking and ciphering, which is part of the film, but certainly not the subject of this film. Perhaps a much wider audience could have been reached with advertising a life-altering, dogged thriller based on a true story. |
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