I’ve never met him, but David Fincher is one dark guy. This is the man who did Seven, which I loved, Fight Club, which I loathed, Zodiac. No wonder he followed that up with the Oscar nominated The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. But this review isn’t about his latest epic; it’s about his last one Zodiac about the unsolved, 1969, San Francisco Serial Killings. When I first saw this a few years ago, I thought it was dull, primarily because I don’t like Jake Gyllenhaal but on this second viewing it works for me. And hey, it starts with Lee “Mouth from One Tree Hill” Norris getting shot up, you can’t go wrong with that. Mark Ruffalo is great as Inspector David Toschi. The cinematography in this film is beautiful. I’m not sure it’s enhanced any by the HD transfer. But the lighting really shines and you can see the depth the shadows. It’s actually a beautiful transfer, so I’ll contradict myself and say that yeah it adds depth to the film. I still hate Jake though.
There are three language tracks – English, Spanish and French. There are two commentary tracks, one with David Fincher and one with the cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Brad Fischer, James Vanderbilt and James Ellroy. The picture is full 1080P, and 5.1 Dolby TrueHD.
Disc 2 Extra Features
The extra features on this disc give you an exhaustive look (in HD) at the creation of the film, but most importantly the complete history of the Zodiac Crimes and all the players. It’s broken up into 2 parts, The Film and The Facts.
The Film
Zodiac Deciphered a 54 minute study about the making of the film.
The Visual Effects of Zodiac (15 Mins, HD)
Previsualization of Blu Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco (About 3 minutes)
Theatrical Trailers
The Facts
A really creepy look at the real Zodiac crimes (1 hr 45 mins, HD)
Prime Suspect (A 45 minute case against Arthur Leigh Allen, who they think is the Zodiac Killer. Since this was never proven, it seems a little scurrilous to mention a real person’s name. But the case they make is convincing.)
Conclusion
At 2 hrs and 45 minutes this movie does drag, but eventually I did get sucked in. The extra features, while not ground breaking, really give you a full 360 in-depth look at this film and the entire history of the time period. It’s worth the price of admission alone. If you already own the Special Edition DVD, this Blu-ray doesn’t add anything other than a really nice picture. It’s available now for retail $36.99 and on Amazon for $24.99.
Grades
Movie – A
Video – A
Audio – A
Features – A
Final Grade A
EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally Posted, 2.23.09