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Pretty Good

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good concept, poorly executed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This movie is based on a very interesting premise which promises a great deal. A true story about a serial killer who appears to have murdered over 20 people and has never been caught is a gold mine... Unfortunately the filmmakers deliver very little. At first glance, it seems as if the motion picture has ambitions, but then very soon we see that the acting is below average, the production is shabby, and most subplots are started but then simply forgotten along the way. And then the final let down, the ending. As far as the ending is concerned, I have only one question... Where is the ending anyway?Skip this one, it's a waste of time.

With already a handful of films on the topic since the year 2000, including a big blockbuster production directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the Zodiac killer suddenly and undeservedly grew out to become one of the most popular real-life serial killers to revolve horror/thriller movies on. I say undeservedly, because the actual facts in the case really weren't that fascinating or world shocking. Okay, obviously, every serial killer case is serious and disturbing but throughout history there honestly were serial killer cases that form much more compelling movie material. The Zodiac Killer story is mainly legendary because the crimes were never solved and because the whole thing escalated into a giant media circus, but strictly speaking the killer didn't make that many victims and his modus operandi wasn't that unusual. Just because the killer was never apprehended and the authorities never fully discovered the whole truth behind his personality and motivations, Hollywood scriptwriters have fewer sources to base their movies on. So in addition to all the letters that were sent to newspaper offices and the forensic reports of the confirmed victims, the films inevitable contain a lot of assumptions and fictional sub plots. In "The Zodiac", for example, there's a sequence in which the killer (filmed from over his shoulder) observes a waitress in a coffee bar and slowly follows the teenage son of the police detective in charge of the investigation down a street in his car. These are sequences that undeniably increase the suspense, but clearly they can never lead anywhere otherwise the portrayal of the facts aren't completely accurate anymore. Even more than in other 'based on true story' movies, you know exactly how each and every single movie about the Zodiac Killer will end: with a written epilogue message stating that the killer is still at large or, in the meantime, died a free man. Of course it doesn't necessarily mean that "The Zodiac", in spite of its unsurpassable restrictions and tendency towards boredom, is a bad or even passable film. Quite the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised about how stylish and anti-sensational this movie is. Director Alexander Bulkley remains focused on the "good" characters and how the vile acts of the serial killer slowly drifts them apart and drives them crazy. The story closely follows the obsessive investigation of the ambitious young inspector Matt Parish and how the lack of progress negatively affects his relationship with his wife and teenage son. Whilst Parish desperately examines dead leads, the Zodiac killer cheerfully sends long letters to the San Francisco Chronicles to reveal details and clues about the murders that only he could know. It's all very interesting and adequately made, but in the end, you watched and listened to 90 minutes of content that informed you about nothing at all… And you already knew that beforehand, too!

THE ZODIAC takes a different look at the famous Zodiac Killer case from other screen treatments of the murders. More than a simple crime story, the film is an emotional thriller focusing on the murders' impact on victims, their families and the wider community. The film follows a police detective (Chambers) from "Grey's Anatomy", and his son (Culkin) who become obsessed with the murders and endanger their family in the process.This movie also stars other TV show stars of current drama, such as Robin Tunney from "Prison Break", William Mapother from "Lost", Rex Linn from "CSI: Miami", and Philip Baker Hall from "The Loop".What touches me most perhaps is that it took place in the town I grew up, The Bay Area of California. Sure, it happened long before I was born, but the fact he was never caught is haunting to a child, whose imagination reinvents in timeless fashion the monsters of yesterday's endless mysteries.Chambers plays a detective who is in over his head. Perhaps if the FBI were more involved early on he might have been caught... I guess we'll never know.A film with decent acting, pacing, music, overall feel is like those suspenseful thrillers I used to see as a kid on TV, and I always enjoyed that personable feeling, almost like no one is in character but just feeling out the story that stays true to the real life mystery we were all left with in the reality of The Zodiac.My rating: 6.5 because it failed to draw the characters in, sadly so little was ever discovered about the Zodiac that there wasn't a lot to go on going into the picture and that hole is painfully clear in the end result. Every subplot to the film is a dead end, mirroring the investigation. We see several times how easily the Zodiac eluded capture due to the ignorance and incompetence of the police.

While ZODIAC is in the theaters and people want a sneak preview of what to expect from that film with Jake Gyllenhaal, this little version called THE ZODIAC is available and has some merit. The search for the still unknown serial killer of the late 1960s in the bay area is a creepy enough story that it is difficult to imagine a telling of it would not make us shiver. This film directed by Alexander Bulkley and written with the director's brother Kelley Bulkeley (sic) keeps a fairly low key and while it does manage to depict some of the slayings, much of this version on the Zodiac killer is focused on the personalities of those desperately seeking the perpetrator.Justin Chambers portrays Inspector Matt Parish who becomes obsessed with the search to the point of excessive drinking and neglecting his family; the manner in which Bulkley depicts him seems more focused on Parish's chain smoking than anything else, an example of using the cigarette as a constant prop when there is no apparent reason for pushing the habit into the public's eye. Parish's frightened wife is ably portrayed by Robin Tunney, and his son who is obsessed with the multiple fascinating aspects of the Zodiac mentality is well handled by Rory Culkin. Some fine actors flesh out the cast - William Mapother, Philip Baker Hall - but they are given little material to use.The production values (night atmosphere especially) are strong for an Indie and the film does convey a creepiness that lingers. If only the writers would have shared some insights into the characters on screen the film would have been far stronger. But for another look at Zodiac, until the real one comes out on DVD, this little film is a good teaser. Grady Harp