The Case for the Signs of the Zodiac

T'was not my intention to go and see the film Zodiac when I went to Auckland recently. All I had intended to do was go to the famous benbag "halfpipe" cinema at Sylvia Park. However, our attempts at enjoying a film sharing a large bag of beans (well, actually, the demonstration bag appeared stuffed with sheeps wool or something equally as warm, squishy and soft feeling) were thwarted by a huge number of Aucklanders who had the same idea on their minds, so as a back up, we went to see Zodiac, the story of a psycho killer.

Well, it wasn't really the Zodiac's story, in that it was the story of the people who tried to find him. We were in the San Francisco Chronical editorial room when they got the cryptic notes from the spelling-challenged serial killer; we were at the murder scenes and followed the investigators as they tried to track down the identity of the mystery murderer; and we were with the intrepid cartoonist-become-detective as he obsessively tries to find the killer once the trail goes cold.

And yes the film is as long as that description implies. The film really is in the three parts as described above: the first part, with the amazing Robert Downey Junior as a sarcastic drunk reporter, is a fascinating recollection of the era of the Zodiac and the panic that set in trying to guess the killer's next move; the second part starts to slide a bit as the investigation proves frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful, and the third bit... well, its more choppy, as evidence is pieced together in new combinations, red herrings pop up and are never really explained as to why they are red herrings (what was with the freaky guy with the basement and the hand-writing?), and the Zodiac is identified, but not really for certain.

The person next to me at several times during the film started to snore as "change overs" in the story took some time happening. Chloe Sevigny's arrival, while welcome, marks the beginning of the decline from the strong opening. While still a very interesting film, it begins to drag and slow as the events in the Zodiac story happen further and further apart. And the shifts in the film's focus, while showing how the story develops, also make it harder to follow.

But overall, I really enjoyed this film, though more for the actual story and the knowledge that this was the "real" story behind the events depicted in the first Dirty Harry film. It is a long film that could probably have been shortened somewhat (its length intensified by the drive from Wellington on the same day I am sure), but worth it if you enjoy "real life killer" stories - though it would probably lose nothing on the small screen.

Verdict: 6 Aries out of 10 Capricorns