Zodiac Scores Big

Zodiac is one of those movies that is a perfect blend of directing, acting, soundtrack, and cinematography. God knows, we have had an abundance of serial killers to pick from, so it stands to reason that the Zodiac Killer was all but forgotten. Apparently that is what Zodiac counted on during his 30 year "Cat and Mouse" game that he played with the public. The production values of this film were excellent in every way. While there is no arguing that this movie has excellent directing, writing and acting, this article discusses the production and technical aspects.

Films in recent past have relied heavily on deconstructing the linear formula and chopping up time sequences in order to present a more interesting and compelling film. This film, because of the 30 year period in which the Zodiac kills, relies heavily on just the opposite. It is a decided study in the linear format. A virtual time-line is used to tell the story.

One of the most effective tools in making this film was the soundtrack. The music of each decade reflected what the timeframe was. My friend kept leaning over to whisper in my ear.... "you remember that song?" Oh yeah, I remembered them all. The soundtrack and sound editing were amazing. The music had us dancing in our seats. I had to laugh because the older you are the more you can relate to how the music ushers in each time period. I would be surprised if this film didn't take home a statue for the sound editing.

This also was a careful study of crime scene investigative techniques that were primitive when compared to the current science of criminal detection. Fingerprints were the only real determining factor in many cases up until the use of DNA testing. Law enforcement was continually frustrated by their limitations in this film and the audience felt that frustration. The storyline hinges on that frustration and that is the real story. Let us not forget how sophisticated audiences have become because of the abundance of CSI's on television. We all know just how woefully inadequate previous investigation techniques were.

The most distinctive point of production is that this is the first Hollywood Studio produced film that is shot totally without videotape or compression. David Fincher, the director, worked closely with the company that makes the Grass Valley Viper FilmStream Camera TM. This camera records images to a removable hard drive and uses no videotape or compression.

In this case of Zodiac, the use of the Viper has given a very raw quality to the film because it picks up every detail of the subject. Close-up shots show every pore on the skin and every hair. The Director of Photography on this film was Harris Savides and his work here was excellent. It is my guess that we will see the Viper used in films more frequently as the technology emerges.

The film hinges on Robert Graysmith's experiences prior to writing his book "Zodiac". The screenplay was written by Jamie Vanderbilt using Graysmith's book as source material. The script had surprising moments of humor, mainly because the main character (Graysmith) was such a delicious nerd. Jake Gyllenhaal presented a well acted version of Graysmith. Graysmith was a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He attaches himself to the investigation obsessively. I feel Gyllenhaal's performance it worthy of a gold statue, but the year is young yet

This is more a narrative about the investigative team than it is about the Zodiac. However, the actor playing Zodiac was chilling in his placid normalcy. I don't want to mention the actor at this point and give the story away but this was also a great performance. The entire cast was excellent and there was not a bad performance in the lot. Hopefully this film will bring home the gold.