Zodiac

Who: Bill
What: Zodiac
Where: The Movie Channel-- offered free during January
Why: Portions of the movie were filmed near my hometown.

During the late 1960’s-early 1970’s, there were a series of unsolved murders in the San Francisco Bay Area. The suspect identified himself as the “Zodiac” through a number of taunting letters mailed to local police and area newspapers. To date, the case technically remains unsolved, although there is strong evidence of who was the actual culprit.

Zodiac follows the intense investigation by the police and newspaper reporters, focusing primarily on San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who takes an interest in the case after deciphering some of the cryptic codes in the killer‘s letters. Also covering the story is Chronicle writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.). Early scenes alternate between the reporters and the investigators that include San Francisco police detectives Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), Vallejo Police Officer Jack Mulanax (Elias Koteas) and Napa County Sheriff’s Officer Ken Narlow (Donal Logue). The latter half of the movie follows Graysmith’s near obsession with the “Zodiac” as he writes a book on the case, in which he concludes the killer was a man named Arthur Leigh Allen (played in the movie by John Carroll Lynch). Allen was identified as a suspect and interviewed by detectives in 1971, but despite strong circumstantial evidence, there was never enough physical evidence to charge him with the "Zodiac" crimes. Allen died in 1992.

At almost three hours, Zodiac covers a lot of detail and many years (1969 to 1991), but holds your attention. The period detail is impressive thanks to excellent digital photography and realistic computer-generated effects shots. There is some blood seen when three of the actual Zodiac murders are depicted early in the film, but these are more suspenseful than horribly graphic (it still may disturb some viewers). One way to approach the movie is by seeing it as an expanded R-rated version of Law and Order. So if you have the time and enjoy a good (true) mystery, Zodiac is highly recommended.