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I thought this was a brand new movie with Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo because it was trending on Netflix--nope, it's from 2007!
Zodiac is based on the infamous serial killer who taunted press and police and committed an unknown number of murders. The movie is based on the 1986 book Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. It's a tricky task as the killer has never been found--so what can the movie add?
The only place the movie can go is obsession. I read the book at least a dozen times when I was a teenager and there are many devoted forums and podcasts about the Zodiac out there. The case will drive you crazy if you let it. There is so much evidence, so many theories and so much time has passed since the original murders that researching Zodiac will take you down a deep rabbit hole. It's easy to create theories and try to fit the evidence to one's own pet theory. Graysmith's personal investigation threatens his marriage and he receives crank calls. His obsession takes him to scary places mentally and physically.
The movie is a reminder of how hard it was to find and transmit information over the past decades. Different counties, different systems, lack of equipment...all these create barriers to reporting and investigations. The absence of technology and a full-functioning retro newsroom will surprise young folks today!
Zodiac clocks in at just over two and a half hours. I thought it was a good movie with a great cast, but it kind of flops as a thriller because so much is crammed into the time frame. Maybe too, I know the story so well that none of it is new to me.
Zodiac is based on the infamous serial killer who taunted press and police and committed an unknown number of murders. The movie is based on the 1986 book Zodiac by Robert Graysmith. It's a tricky task as the killer has never been found--so what can the movie add?
The only place the movie can go is obsession. I read the book at least a dozen times when I was a teenager and there are many devoted forums and podcasts about the Zodiac out there. The case will drive you crazy if you let it. There is so much evidence, so many theories and so much time has passed since the original murders that researching Zodiac will take you down a deep rabbit hole. It's easy to create theories and try to fit the evidence to one's own pet theory. Graysmith's personal investigation threatens his marriage and he receives crank calls. His obsession takes him to scary places mentally and physically.
The movie is a reminder of how hard it was to find and transmit information over the past decades. Different counties, different systems, lack of equipment...all these create barriers to reporting and investigations. The absence of technology and a full-functioning retro newsroom will surprise young folks today!
Zodiac clocks in at just over two and a half hours. I thought it was a good movie with a great cast, but it kind of flops as a thriller because so much is crammed into the time frame. Maybe too, I know the story so well that none of it is new to me.
