Zodiac
We’ll see how things progress, but for most of my reviews, I probably won’t spend too much time summarizing the plot. I’m guessing I’ll lay out my thoughts as if we’ve both seen the movie and are discussing it together. You can expect plenty of spoilers (again, I’m assuming you’ve seen it). However, I’ll throw up a SPOILER ZONE alert before delving any true secrets. You let me know… does it make a difference if you’ve seen the movie first? Who can say. We’ll work this out together!
Let’s Dive In to ZODIAC:
Somehow, I missed this movie. I have a vague memory of wanting desperately to watch it when I was in high school – (fact check did confirm Zodiac was released in the second semester of my senior year).
I had this impression of it being the exact type of movie I was watching a lot of in high school – a dark edgy thriller that seemed a bit more elevated than your average blockbuster.
I have no memory of the public reception of this movie at the time. My half-assed research let’s me know that it’s “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes for whatever that’s worth. I keep asking myself – how did I not see this movie!? I would have just turned 18 when it was released. Prime “I Can See Rated R Movies Now!” Time. Plus, that summer I was working at Hollywood Video (ever heard of it??) and could rent three movies at a time. FOR FREE. And I’m supposed to understand that I watched at least one movie a day that summer, but somehow never chose the movie featuring ROBERT DOWNEY JR., JAKE GYLLENHAAL AND MR. MARK RUFFALO prominently on the cover?
Suspicious.
Admittedly, this is Pre-Iron Man (PIM), so, high school me would only really be interested in 2 out of 3 of the leads at the time. BUT STILL.
I even double checked the DVD release date just to be sure there wasn’t some freak accident that would have prevented me from accessing this movie. Nope.
I have a theory that I must have seen it and then hit my head and erased the memory of both the film and the injury.
But I digress. Let’s dive in.
SPOILER ZONE
The first two notes of the music immediately place you in a certain time– I so appreciate this. I love when a movie clues you in before the lights are even up – like, “Hey. Get ready. This is the vibe.”
Most importantly: the opening shot of this film is *chef’s kiss*. To be precise, it’s really the second shot after the initial establishing shot of the city. But, why be precise? This is the first true, memorable shot of the movie and ohhh boy it’s a good one.
We are inside the car. Who’s car? Not sure. Right away you feel a sense of ominous foreboding and of mystery. Not to mention a sense of claustrophobia and a distinct lack of control (I realize this is potentially redundant phrasing). You’re being taken for a ride, looking out the passenger side window. Someone else is driving.
The frame is fixed as you watch the landscape pass by, which only heightens the lack of control you’re already feeling. You’ve lost your periphery. No looking ahead at what’s coming, no peeks around the corner, no chance to double check something that flew past, and absolutely no chance to look behind you.
This shot is unwavering for 35 whole seconds which seems like a pretty long time and feels even longer as you watch it.
I think a critical pre-requisite to this movie working is that you know you are about to watch a movie about the Zodiac Killer. From the moment the Paramount logo shows up, you can’t help but anticipate it – who will the first victim be?
The first sequence plays off this inevitable, and potentially subconscious anticipation perfectly, even beyond the first shot I just discussed. You know as soon as this couple pulls up to their parking spot, they are in trouble. You are left waiting to see which car will be the one carrying their doom.
Side note – before I began watching, I had completely forgotten this was a David Fincher movie. Opening credits reminded me – and it totally fits. Everything I love about this movie is what Fincher is good at.
The sequence on the highway is another prime example. From the moment we see a new female character driving – seemingly alone – our guard is up.
Quick note – I’m so glad we all know that we absolutely DO NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES do this today. It seems so obvious to us (especially women) that you would never pull over on the highway for a strange vehicle. It was actually shocking to watch, it’s so ingrained. That being said, it’s probably not an unreasonable response for the time in which the story is set
So, that being said, the focus once again stays in the car. Not the same strict POV shot that opens the film, but by keeping what we can see limited to what our driver sees, it creates a similar effect. We are well over a minute into this sequence (feels like longer) when BOOM – the baby reveal. The stakes and tension just skyrocket.
It’s not a huge shock when the rear wheel breaks (peak yelling at your TV moment when she lets him touch her car), but after she gets out of the car, we get another reveal. She’s pregnant. Fuck. This is where I start thinking “This is NOT what I signed up for”. Listen, I’ve seen the Red Wedding, I’ve seen some shit. But I don’t love it and at this point, as someone watching the movie, I could care less about the cinematography or directorial choices – I’m just trying to make sure I don’t have to watch a pregnant lady and her baby get murdered (which I’m obviously feeling because of the cinematography and directorial choices).
It’s not until the very end of the sequence – 5 whole minutes after it started – that we feel the relief of knowing they survive. First, we see the mother alone – good. But, what about the baby? Finally, she goes to retrieve her child and we hear it cry. Fincher ramps the tension down in steps, just like he escalated it step-by-step five minutes ago.
Truly – a ride.
I’m not going to run through every sequence, but there are a few specific things that I also have to discuss.
1) Immediately I catch “The Most Dangerous Game”… did everyone else? Maybe when this movie came out in 2007, references to “The Most Dangerous Game” weren’t as ubiquitous as they seem today. I’m going to guess that’s the case, because I think to have our three smarty-pants main characters miss this reference for a good chunk of the movie, wouldn’t play if it were released today.
2) Hellooooo June Diane Raphael! I had no idea she was in this and I was so pumped to spot her! (For those who are not familiar, she is amazing, part of one of my favorite podcasts “How Did This Get Made”, Grace & Frankie, a fantastic writer of “A woman’s guide…”, etc. – you are welcome).
3) The following portion of the review will be dedicated as the “Mark Ruffalo Appreciation Section”:
a. One of the biggest drivers of suspense in Zodiac is “When will I get to see Mark Ruffalo”. Shockingly, your hero and mine doesn’t appear until 26 minutes and 30 seconds into this feature film!
b. I think this may actually be one of Ruffalo’s best opening lines of all time. “Whoever this is, you owe me a new lamp”. Love it. Right away we know we have a sardonic detective and after 25 minutes of the newspaper room, we are ready for the cops! Plus, the sass just keeps coming. What’s not to love?
c. Can we all take a minute to say thanks for Mark Ruffalo in a bow tie? I mean… What else is there to say. It’s almost too much.
There are so many things I really loved about this movie – The return of our cops to the same street corner every year on the same day, the dynamic between Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., the witty banter in general, the push and pull of the mystery.
One of the most surprising elements to me is how we watch Jake Gyllenhaal’s character completely disappear into this mystery. It’s so clearly an obsession, and I wasn’t expecting to see his fall from grace. His descent is so subtle and so slow, I really didn’t see it coming. It’s hard to tell when exactly it crosses a line, and I think that’s kind of the point.
It made for a compelling wrinkle in the newsroom drama aspect of the story – and I certainly found it more compelling than RDJ’s character’s succumbing to his alcoholism.
The Bottom Line:
This is a compelling and gritty movie, but it’s not grimy and I love that. I had a blast watching our central trio. It was almost too dark / violent in some moments for me to watch alone, but it has a pitch perfect balance that moves the considerable run time along – flitting between genres – newsroom drama, slasher film, police procedural. It’s probably my favorite thing about this movie (other than Mark Ruffalo in a bow tie).
