georgewilliamnoble The Zodiac killer was never caught, so there can be no resolution. So this low budget police procedure thriller takes a domestic route to the facts. We see the destruction of a successful marriage as the obsessed fictional detective fails to catch the mysterious yet communicative killer. The period is particularly well recreated, the performances by the entire assemble of cast members strong,the central lead played with substance by Justin Chambers particularly effective and the murders disturbing in there recreation. The zodiac is in my view a nice piece of low budget cinema. Dramatically the film is not rewarding but only because there can be no happy ending or the resolution we crave. But as a mystery and as a piece of nostalgia though a macabre one, it did for me work well. In short this little known minor film is more than just worth a watch.

Coventry With already a handful of films on the topic since the year 2000, including a big blockbuster production directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, the Zodiac killer suddenly and undeservedly grew out to become one of the most popular real-life serial killers to revolve horror/thriller movies on. I say undeservedly, because the actual facts in the case really weren't that fascinating or world shocking. Okay, obviously, every serial killer case is serious and disturbing but throughout history there honestly were serial killer cases that form much more compelling movie material. The Zodiac Killer story is mainly legendary because the crimes were never solved and because the whole thing escalated into a giant media circus, but strictly speaking the killer didn't make that many victims and his modus operandi wasn't that unusual. Just because the killer was never apprehended and the authorities never fully discovered the whole truth behind his personality and motivations, Hollywood scriptwriters have fewer sources to base their movies on. So in addition to all the letters that were sent to newspaper offices and the forensic reports of the confirmed victims, the films inevitable contain a lot of assumptions and fictional sub plots. In "The Zodiac", for example, there's a sequence in which the killer (filmed from over his shoulder) observes a waitress in a coffee bar and slowly follows the teenage son of the police detective in charge of the investigation down a street in his car. These are sequences that undeniably increase the suspense, but clearly they can never lead anywhere otherwise the portrayal of the facts aren't completely accurate anymore. Even more than in other 'based on true story' movies, you know exactly how each and every single movie about the Zodiac Killer will end: with a written epilogue message stating that the killer is still at large or, in the meantime, died a free man. Of course it doesn't necessarily mean that "The Zodiac", in spite of its unsurpassable restrictions and tendency towards boredom, is a bad or even passable film. Quite the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised about how stylish and anti-sensational this movie is. Director Alexander Bulkley remains focused on the "good" characters and how the vile acts of the serial killer slowly drifts them apart and drives them crazy. The story closely follows the obsessive investigation of the ambitious young inspector Matt Parish and how the lack of progress negatively affects his relationship with his wife and teenage son. Whilst Parish desperately examines dead leads, the Zodiac killer cheerfully sends long letters to the San Francisco Chronicles to reveal details and clues about the murders that only he could know. It's all very interesting and adequately made, but in the end, you watched and listened to 90 minutes of content that informed you about nothing at all… And you already knew that beforehand, too!

Michael O'Keefe In the late 1960s, a serial killer dubbed The Zodiac, strikes fear into bay area residents of Northern California. The gruesome murders - usually young teenage lovers - had great impact on the victim's families and entire community as a young cop Matt Parish(Justin Chambers)becomes obsessed with capturing the killer. Parish would find himself communicating with the psycho through a series of cryptic letters with the promise of the killer's identity. This fictionalized account of the actual events makes for a gripping movie with strong violence and disturbing images. The cast also features: Robin Tunney, Brad William Henke, Rex Linn, Rory Culkin and Brian Bloom as the voice of Zodiac.

Aadam Mahbubani Even though this movie is based on a true story of a killer that has never been caught, there is no excuse for such a poor ending...I felt like i just wasted 90 minutes of a movie that was neither going to teach anything nor at provide any entertainment.If you want to know more about the zodiac, you can find all the information you need on the web, not worth watching this movie.. it has a weak ending and the story/acting isn't very engrossing.The only good point of this movie as far as i'm concerned is that it is the best of the zodiac films that have been produced, but that isn't saying much.