The Bottom Line
Pros
- Top-notch acting
- Well-crafted film that is rich in detail
- Noirish atmosphere and an authentic period feel
- Some spine-chilling sequences
- Impressive array of DVD bonus materials
Cons
- Complex movie that requires patience on the part of the viewer (could be a pro)
- Not much action or suspense
- Ending may not satisfy those who demand tidiness and complete closure
Description
- Two-disc DVD set containing director's cut of true crime drama Zodiac (2007)
- Movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.
- DVD provides 2 audio commentaries, one by the director, the other by actors, producer and writers
- DVD supplies a 54-minute making-of documentary
- DVD contains a 15-minute featurette on the film's visual effects
- DVD has a 102-minute documentary on the real-life investigation of the Zodiac murders
- DVD provides a 42-minute feature on Arthur Leigh Allen, the real-life prime suspect in the murders
- Feature film runtime: 2 hours 42 minutes
- MPAA rating: R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images
- DVD release date: January 8, 2008
Guide Review - 'Zodiac' (2-Disc Director's Cut) DVD Review
Based on Robert Graysmith's true crime books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked, the movie Zodiac (2007) stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. The film's main character is a fictionalized version of Graysmith, played by Gyllenhaal. Ruffalo portrays legendary San Francisco policeman Dave Toschi, who inspired Steve McQueen's character in Bullitt (1968) and Clint Eastwood's character in Dirty Harry (1971). Downey plays Paul Avery, a crime reporter for northern California's top newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. The early part of the movie takes place in 1969 when a series of murders are committed by a man known as the Zodiac.
But the film is only peripherally about the killer and his victims — the focus is on the people trying to crack the case. There isn't much action or suspense: the movie is basically a detail-oriented, dialogue-driven procedural. Zodiac tells a long, intricate, sprawling, messy story that requires patience on the part of the viewer. The tale finally comes to a low-keyed ending in 1991, but those who demand tidiness and complete closure may not be satisfied. However, for many of us, the movie is a multifaceted case study that is absorbing.
The theatrical cut of Zodiac was released previously on a barebones single-disc DVD, but the 2-Disc Director's Cut contains a version of the feature film that is five minutes longer, as well as an impressive array of extras. These include two audio commentaries, one by the director, the other by Gyllenhaal, Downey, a producer, the screenwriter, and novelist James Ellroy. Also, there are a lengthy making-of documentary, a featurette on visual effects, a feature-length documentary on the real-life investigation and a feature on the real-life prime suspect.
