Zodiac

Scott Hardie: “It ruled.”

This is a filmmaker's film, excelling in technical areas like cinematography and sound editing, but lacking in the human warmth that would give it wider appeal. David Fincher avoids pumping up the film with artificial suspense like in his previous Panic Room, and sticks obsessively to the plain facts of the investigation, spelling them out one by one... except during one brilliant sequence, when he shows what kind of tension he's capable of generating.

[Ending spoilers ahead.] I'm disappointed by the final scene featuring the main character, because it provides a reward for his obsession that flies in the face of the movie's apparent premise that there can be no happy ending to this kind of obsession; it's like making a grim drama about a gambling addict who slowly loses everything he has, but finally wins big money in his final scene. (Yeah, the story is true, but the filmmakers structure their narrative by picking and choosing which true events to portray.) Overall, it's a very good movie that rewards rapt attention and appreciation of Fincher's visual style.This review contains spoilers. Reveal it.

− November 5, 2011 • more by Scott • log in or register to reply