Zodiac: Director's Cut

David Fincher began his career as a music video director, working with artists like Madonna, Paula Abdul and Billy Idol before he was given the opportunity by 20th Century Fox to move into feature films with Alien³. Due to 'creative differences' with the production company, he went back to making music videos and commercials before directing The Game, to some success. Since then he has made his name with Se7en, Fight Club and now Zodiac.

Zodiac is "based on the true story of America's most notorious serial killer", though surely John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein have at least equal claim to that title? The Zodiac's identity, like Jack the Ripper's, remains unknown and the case was never closed.

The film is based on two books by Robert Graysmith, who, in 1969, was a cartoonist and amateur cryptographer at The San Francisco Chronicle when the Bay Area was terrorised by a spate of murders. The killer, calling himself 'Zodiac', sent coded letters to the police and the city's newspapers, demanding their publication. Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes an immediate interest in these ciphers and becomes fascinated with the case. Along with Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) a journalist at the Chronicle and Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) he seeks to discover the killer's identity. However, when the murders stop and the case goes 'cold', and with Avery burned out on drink and drugs and Toschi moved on to other cases, Graysmith slides into an obsession that threatens his marriage and his life.

I reviewed the theatrical release, which I was impressed with despite the lack of extra features that were reserved for this, the director's cut.


James Vanderbilt's screenplay is impressive, compressing two books into a complex and absorbing thriller without becoming bogged down either by minutiae or the scale of the manhunt, almost revelling in them and sucking you in, as Graysmith was. Although 162 minutes long, the Director's Cut of Zodiac never feels like a long film - always a good sign. This is slightly longer than the theatrical cut, with a few extra scenes, but I didn't notice them, presumably because they reintegrate so well.

Unlike Se7en, this serial killer film without a serial killer does not dwell on the murders, instead focusing on the response of the police and media to them. Zodiac combines elements of All the President's Men and L.A. Confidential - much of the first act takes place inside a newspaper office and the friendship between Robert Graysmith and Paul Avery is reminiscent of Woodward and Bernstein. As the film progresses, the focus shifts to the relationship between Graysmith and Inspector Toschi, becoming more of a police drama, before moving entirely onto Graysmith, his obsession and writing the book Zodiac.


The Disc

Extra Features
There are two commentaries: one with David Fincher and the other with Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt and James Ellroy. Fincher talks with few pauses through the entire film, mixing his personal opinions about the Zodiac case with descriptions of the filmmaking process - it's a very interesting and worthwhile listen. The second commentary is far more varied, with the actors talking about their on-set experiences, Vanderbilt and Ellroy discussing crime writing and Fischer interjecting with the odd useful insight. This is also worth a listen though, at times, it is difficult to tell who is talking.

The special features are split into The Film and The Facts.


The Film
The 54 minute 'Zodiac Deciphered' documentary is split into seven parts that can be viewed separately or together: 'Zodiac Deciphered'; 'Blue Rock Springs'; 'The San Fancisco Chronicle'; 'The Hall of Justice'; 'Presidio Heights'; 'Lake Berryessa' and 'Obsession'. Each is a 'making of' feature with behind the scenes footage and interviews with Brad Fischer and James Vanderbilt, showing the painstaking attention to detail and how the project began.

'The Visual Effects of Zodiac' featurette runs for quarter of an hour and is a look into how the film used CGI, bluescreen and other digital effects throughout - you'll be amazed at how much was created entirely on a computer.

The three 'Previsualization sequences' shows David Fincher's unique storyboarding style - using a computer to animate the scene before shooting - in three scenes (Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco) with the computer animation at the top of the screen and the finished product at the bottom.

Finally, there is the theatrical trailer.


The Facts
The 'This is the Zodiac Speaking' documentary is split into four parts that can be watched individually or collectively, with a hefty running time of 102 minutes! It covers the four murder sites of Lake Herman Road, Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa and San Francisco. David Prior, the director and producer, interviewed cops, inspectors, telephone operators who took the calls and the survivors of the attacks.

This is a fascinating documentary with some terrific insights into the Zodiac investigation, how accurate the film is and a great companion piece for the movie.

'Prime Suspect: His Name was Arthur Leigh Allen' is a 42 minute documentary about the main suspect, featuring interviews with college friends, workmates, police and a criminal psychologist. They give their opinions on whether he was the Zodiac or not, fleshing out the details on Allen that were alluded to in the film. After watching Zodiac, you have almost no doubts that he was the killer, but after this, you're not quite so sure.

All the features, bar the commentaries and the trailer, are subtitled in the same languages as the main feature.


The Picture
Shot in David Fincher's usual aspect ratio of anamorphic 2.40:1 and with his trademark attention to detail, Zodiac looks terrific and is not let down by the DVD presentation.

The costumes, props and sets firmly establish the eras, with fashions changing as the timeframe of the story progresses.

Captured, stored and edited entirely using digital equipment, Zodiac is the first studio film ever to be treated solely as data from beginning to end.


The Sound
The Dolby Digital 5.1 English soundtrack is excellent, with beautifully clear dialogue and a fine score by David Shire.

The use of music from the period adds to the authenticity, and the choice to frame the film with Donovan's 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' was inspired, as the song has never sounded so strange.

There are English, French and Spanish subtitles.


Final Thoughts
The performances are superb, especially John Carroll Lynch and Mark Ruffalo. Whilst Zodiac does not have the adrenaline rush of Fight Club, the paranoia ofof The Game nor the brooding menace of Se7en, it is a brilliantly constructed, incredibly involving and accomplished film, possibly David Fincher's best work to date. I can't imagine this ever topping a list of 'Favourite David Fincher Films' - it's not mine - but it's a film I could watch again and again and the amount of extra features make this a terrific set and the one to buy.