The Zodiac (2006)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

As a culture we are obsessed with serial killers. While some writers choose to glorify these monsters, others simply want to show the truth behind their crimes and the investigation that followed. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, the real story is no where near as interesting as Hollywood makes it out to be, that's where the based on a true story comes in. The case of the infamous Zodiac Killer was a fascinating case, of a man who not only killed at random, but who also taunted the police, by publishing cryptic ciphers in the newspaper, claiming if they cracked the ciphers, they'd know who he was. The man behind the crimes was certainly an interesting case, but the long investigation into finding out who the person might have been, was not. As a film, The Zodiac is said to be a fairly accurate portrayal of the crimes, the investigation, the paranoia than gripped the city, and the political pressure everyone faced as a result. The film makers didn't want to take liberties with the story, glorify the crimes, or present unproven theories from any one of the a number of books written about the Zodiac Killer. That being said, what happened was interesting, but also fairly slow moving and more than somewhat dry. For those people who are unfamiliar with the story of the Zodiac, they may enjoy learning about this case, but for those of us who know it, watching this film was like seeing a very long episode of the First 48. It's interest, the acting is suitable, and it passes the time, but if you're looking for a real entertaining, Hollywood version of the Zodiac story, you'll be much happier with the film simply titled, Zodiac, from 2007, starring Robert Downey Jr. That film is based on one of the more populist theories of the crime, and features more edge of your seat action than it's predecessor.

a simple sketch. not very clear, not elaborated, far to be convincing or almost interesting. short, nothing complicated, nothing credible. only few lines from a famous case and Justin Chambers as hero. the problem is not acting or script but the lost of purpose. it seems be a film about nothing, puzzle from different crime films, without roots of characters and full of improvisation. a movie who can be, in the most happy situation, source of sources about subject and a kind of introduction not very smart, but not so bad. short, a gray film. not decent, not bad. only a poor one . about a complex subject who has as meritorious thing only its title.

The Zodiac Killer was one of the most famous serial killers in history, being one of the few to murder so many and get away. The Zodiac Killer, to this very day, has yet to be caught. Chances are, he never will be. And it's of no surprise that sooner or later, a movie would be made about him. In the 70s, the villain of a Clint Eastwood movie "Dirty Harry" featured a murderer based off the Zodiac Killer, but this is a film that is based around the Zodiac himself and the terror he created in San Francisco."The Zodiac" is a film with great potential for zest and entertainment, but it unfortunately does not reach those points to the expected level. Really, the very beginning of the film was executed and shot perfectly and yes the film had some other moments throughout. But overall, it's a very bland and uninteresting film. The filmmakers played wisely by not showing the Zodiac Killer's face on screen, we never see him clearly. We can hear his voice many times, which is a cold, blood-chilling tone. They chose the right actor for that job. However, the other actors, while not bad at their job, had to suffer from playing boring characters. Characters that made no sense and in scenes that oftentimes made no sense. Some scenes seemed very pointless, such as the prelude to an obvious sex scene that never unfolds and is overall uninteresting, no matter what you were looking for.It was a film that I had higher expectations for. I have heard recently about another movie based on the Zodiac Killer, released in 2007. I have yet to see this one, but hear it is highly acclaimed and a masterpiece. I aim to see it as soon as I can, but this version of the story was overall, iffy. Acceptable, but not special.

"The Zodiac" is about Seargant Matthew Parish (Justin Chambers, of TV's "Grey's Anatomy"), a police detective in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s. On December 20, 1968, two young people are shot to death in their car late at night. This is just the beginning of a murderous rampage that continued until late 1969. The killer, who calls himself "The Zodiac", taunts the police with cryptic messages and letters, and terrorizes the city residents. And while the Zodiac causes chaos for the citizens, relations in Matthew's family, with his wife Laura (Robin Tunney, of "The Craft"), and his son, Johnny (Rory Culkin) begin to crumble as he is consumed by the disturbing case.Based on the real-life unsolved serial killing that took place in the late 1960s San Francisco, "The Zodiac" is a well-told and interesting thriller that was much better than I was expecting it to be. I personally don't know a lot about the actual Zodiac case (I just know the basic things), but from what I've been told, this movie does leave out some elements in the actual case and twists things a bit for storytelling purposes, which isn't necessarily bad. Nonetheless, the story is well told here and will give a nice insight into the Zodiac killer for those who aren't very familiar with the real case. It doesn't lose it's focus either, which is a good thing. However, I did feel that it kind of dragged it's feet a bit in certain areas, but after awhile it began to pick itself up again.The 1960s setting is brought through here very nicely with the costumes, cars, locations, etc. It does bring you back to the time of the real incidents, which is effective. Vietnam and a country in chaos is an ironic backdrop for the chaos caused by the Zodiac within San Francisco, and the time period is brought to life with numerous clips and footage from the era, including footage of actual things related to the case. As for the murder scenes, they are surprisingly saddening, and brutal to say the least. The presence of the killer himself is eerie enough, and he is only really seen in a couple of scenes, but of course his face is never shown. Good acting here as well from Justin Chambers, who was an odd choice for a lead, but pulls off the role. Robin Tunney is great as his sympathetic wife, and Rory Culkin is also good as their son. The conclusion is a bit empty, but what can you really expect, seeing as the real killer himself was never caught? The reality is that these things did happen, and that is what gives this movie it's creepiness.Overall, "The Zodiac" is chilling and eerie movie that chronicles one of the most infamous serial killings of all time. It's not perfect and it has it's flaws, but it is a decent account of the crimes, and does put on display the Zodiac's mystery and intrigue. The actual Zodiac killer himself sent a letter to police asking, "When will there be a good movie made about me?". Well, people's opinions of this film will obviously vary, but I'd say this was fairly good and worth a watch, especially if you find the Zodiac killing case of any interest. 7/10.