Zodiac review

Se7en and Fight Club announced director David Fincher as a master of taut thrillers. The riveting Zodiac now elevates him above even those lofty heights. From the tense opening scene, through the next two and a half gripping hours, the true tale of the serial killer that terrorized San Francisco during the 1960s and 70s never relinquishes its mesmerizing hold. James Vanderbilt's script, based on Robert Graysmith's book, keeps things tightly wound as it examines the brutal murders, the lengthy investigation and the pressures the case exerts, and toll it takes, on all those connected.

Possessed of disturbingly violent moments, Zodiac is fraught with psychological tension and fearful expectancy, and reminiscent of that other great thriller about a serial killer, Silence Of The Lambs. The fact that the notorious Zodiac was never found could potentially have been a problem in sustaining involvement, but it's a testament to Vanderbilt and Fincher's skill that they use the inconclusive outcome to add to the drama.

Zodiac focuses on three of the main people at the core of the investigation. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) was a newly appointed cartoonist on the San Francisco Chronicle when the Zodiac killer was active. His obsession with the case ultimately led to him writing a book. Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) is the detective in charge of the San Francisco police's investigation, and Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) is the Chronicle's maverick crime reporter covering the case. All three actors deliver sterling performances, but Downey's luminous take on the cocky, sardonic Avery is dazzling.

Events begin with the killer embarking on his reign of terror. Following the brutal murder, he sends letters to the local papers signing them Zodiac, confessing his crime and threatening to continue his murderous spree unless they publish an encoded message containing clues to his motives. The letters and cipher instantly establish the callous and calculating Zodiac as a terrifying media obsession. The handwritten letters also offer the police a means by which to help identify Zodiac.

The film highlights the logistical problems for the police when dealing with a series of murders that take place in different counties. And though several suspects emerge, the sheer scale of the investigation is stifling. Over the years, Zodiac's inactivity diminishes the police's interest, but never Graysmith's who, at huge personal sacrifice, maintains his crusade.

Chilling, smart and intense, with the occasional glimmer of light allowed to penetrate the darkness, Zodiac is utterly compelling. It captures perfectly the look and mood of the period and evokes the pervasive fear the murders caused. On this evidence, the case is as fascinating as those involved. The 2006 Academy Awards may have just been handed out, but already Zodiac has made a firm stake to be amongst the reckoning come next year's Oscars.

Kevin Murphy