Part of Shocktober
In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer’s identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.
Based on the true story of the notorious serial killer and the intense manhunt he inspired, director David Fincher’s (SE7EN) superbly crafted, epic thriller features an outstanding ensemble cast, engrossing decades-spanning storytelling, and his trademark penchant for creating atmosphere and tension. ZODIAC is a searing and singularly haunting examination of twin obsessions: one man’s desire to kill and another’s quest for the truth.
“ZODIAC is the ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN of serial killer movies, with Woodward and Bernstein played by a cop and a cartoonist…. The film is a police procedural crossed with a newspaper movie, but free of most of the cliches of either. Its most impressive accomplishment is to gather a bewildering labyrinth of facts and suspicions over a period of years, and make the journey through this maze frightening and suspenseful.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Aug 23, 2007) “Psychology isn’t Mr. Fincher’s bag; he isn’t interested in what lies and writhes beneath, but what is right there: the visible evidence. And what beautiful evidence it is. His polished technique can leave you slack-jawed, as can his scrupulous attention to detail…. Rarely has a film with so much blood on its hands seemed so insistently alive.” —Manohla Dargis, NYT Critic’s Pick, New York Times (Mar 2, 2007) “ZODIAC is the rare serial-killer movie in which the psychosis stems as much from the pursuers (and the filmmaker) as the pursued.” —Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club (Mar 2, 2007)
