Review of Zodiac (2007) by Ethan S — 04 Oct 2014
When looked at as a thriller, the movie fails. It isn't thrilling. Maybe I'm too seasoned a horror fan to be affected by the scenes of graphic violence, but nothing had me at the edge of my seat.
What kept me watching (all 157 min.) was the incredibly deep drama of watching a cartoonist, a crime reporter, and a detective try to solve the Zodiac murders. The film works best as a drama, and an academic piece of film.
Its directed with restraint and discipline by Fincher, who never loses sight of what he wants the film to be. He doesn't take any shortcuts by killing off a main character's wife, or even a main character at that.
He doesn't do anything that didn't happen, and quite frankly that isn't as exciting as watching his film Seven (a film easily comparable to Zodiac). That being said, this film has a lot more to say than Seven about the nature of man.
The Zodiac killer was obsessed with "The Most Dangerous Game", and that short story's themes run deep. The killer hunted humans, but so did everyone else when searching for him. Man is the most dangerous game, and it can overtake people's lives if they let it.
This film is good, it might even be great. I just wish I enjoyed watching it more. I'm not saying I wanted Fincher to add anything exploitative, but perhaps a shorter run time would have been better.
This review of Zodiac (2007) was written by Ethan S on 04 Oct 2014.
Zodiac has generally received very positive reviews.
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