[Movie] Zodiac (new David Fincher flick)

Fincher hits the ball the whole way home with his self-reflexive Zodiac whose principal lies in infatuation and media effects on society through the framing of his camera - note the references to movies/television/pov shots. What follows is a very finely crafted piece that compares favorably to JFK, and pleasurably less labored.

I hate to disappoint but this is less a thriller than character study - so it doesn't offer Se7en-style chills or an outright twist ending. That's not to say it's not without thrills; the killings are executed with precision, and one in particular left me with chills all over. Another piece it compares favorably with is last year's undervalued The Black Dahlia (both film's lifeblood is examining investigative obsession), though I can see this sitting better with audiences, albeit not to the level of the director's own Fight Club or Se7en. I merely liked Se7en, and saw much more to Fight Club than its fans seemingly dumb it down to, but Zodiac is his best work. It's less flashy, a definite benefit, and its no-nonsense tone - supported by some very solid acting work - avoids pretense that would have been damaging.

An unwillingness to engage with the material will no doubt bore, but each frame is packed with cinematic cues. Fincher's film is an extremely mature one, asking audiences to sacrifice lazier, crowd-pleasing pizzazz in order to reap the full reward.

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