TRUE STORY OF THE WEEK : "ZODIAC"

Ok, we seem to have got off to a nice little start with Jamie Oliver. Cooking, nice and homely, warm kitchens… Fancy a change of tone? How about a serial killer? A real one of course…

Those of you who have been following me for longer, (if you’re out there, I’m kinda hurt no one ever writes comments on this dang page but oh well…) anyway, those of you who have been reading this blog for longer must have spotted my penchant for true stories. Those of you who are into the genre (or know about it) may have suspected I am also into true crime. Well, I have news for you: I am; BIG TIME. It’s sort of ghoulish but well… I just can’t help it. And the Zodiac murders are now officially stuff of legend – not least because the identity of the killer is still unknown… Celebrated Hollywood director David Fincher was a child in the San Francisco area just around the time the killer was active – so was able to experience the terror that gripped the city first hand. Having then gone on to direct such dark yet wonderful classics as Seven, The Game and Fight Club, I personally think there was no one better qualified to take on telling the story of the Zodiac. And with big time names like Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo on the “roll call” who could resist this film… I mean, be honest…

Ok now for those of you who either were not alive at the time or do not share my interest in true crime, here is a “what the film is all about”: Between December 1968 and October 1969, the San Francisco bay area was terrorized by a hooded killer. Apparently picking his victims at random, pretty much the way a hunter would, he claimed the lives of five people (experts can agree on a total of seven victims, two of these survived. There are also numerous suspected victims). He also wrote letters to the press to be printed – namely the San Francisco Chronicle sometimes in code (very good code at that) sometimes not, making various threats the most famous being ambushing a school bus, causing much alarm among parents. The fact that the Zodiac (for thus he signed himself) claimed to have murdered 37 people and the fact that he was never actually identified only made him more feared. Authorities continued receiving communication from the Zodiac until the late seventies. Although a prime suspect exists officially no one can prove or say who the Zodiac killer actually was. The film centers round two characters Robert Graysmith who worked in the Chronicle at the time and David Tosci – one of the detectives assigned to the case…

So, what do I make of it? Well, rest assured, the film lives up to its big names. Both Jake Gyllenhaal – as Robert Graysmith who became completely obsessed with the case, and then the leading expert on the Zodiac murders and Mark Ruffalo as David Tosci who was dragged above and beyond the line of duty thanks to Graysmith are in a word superb. And David Fincher is as usual, a master of creating atmospheres. The killings are present, naturally, but not overpowering – this is not a gore flick. It is the suspense, the growing yet fruitless hunt, the taunting letters and the fear gripping the hearts of the public that dominate the film. We watch with baited breath as Graysmith makes breakthrough after breakthrough, struggle with him as he tries desperately to make Tosci and the rest of the police take him seriously and yet, of course common sense dictates that he will fail – to this day the identity of the Zodiac killer is not known for sure…

I can understand if you feel the idea of watching a movie on real live murders is a little too much for you. But frankly, look at it this way, we watch a lot of war films do we not? And are a lot of said war films based on true stories – true wars? What about the news? Death and carnage surround us and there we don’t even have the comfort of being faced with Oscar nominee actors, there the events are REALLY real. Taken in that context, to my way of thinking, Zodiac is no gorier than any other cop-flick you have ever watched. It just has an added “brrr” factor when you stop and think about it… And believe me you will think about it. Mr Fincher, my congratulations sir, you have done it again =)