The Zodiac is directed by Alexander Bulkley who also co-writes the screenplay with his brother Kelley Bulkley. It stars Justin Chambers, Robin Tunney, Rory Culkin, Philip Baker Hall, Brad Henke, Marty Lindsey, Rex Linn and William Mapother. Music is by Michael Suby and cinematography by Denis Maloney. Story is based on the true events involving a serial killer known as The Zodiac who terrorised the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s. He was never captured. There's a lot of scorn poured on Bulkley's movie, which on the surface is understandable given that it's neither an in-depth examination of the actual case or a terrifying serial killer thriller. It's cause isn't helped, either, by David Fincher's meticulous version that followed in 2007. Yet there's value in The Zodiac, even if it's difficult to recommend with confidence. The Bulkley's choose to focus primarily on one policeman and his family and how they are deeply affected by The Zodiac case. This involves Detective Matt Parish (Chambers) coming under increasing pressure at work, where his superiors are demanding a result, and at home, where his wife Laura (Tunney) grows frantic/frustrated by the day and his young son Johnny (Culkin) becomes unhealthily fascinated by the case. The director paints a very good period backdrop whilst deftly filling the narrative with a sense of paranoia that surely enveloped the Bay Area as The Zodiac enacted his crimes. The killer's face is rightly never seen, though we get POV shots from the killer and glimpses from afar or from behind him. While interestingly there's a link between The Zodiac and young Johnny as each go about their respective ways. The colour schemes used at various points of the story are well thought out, providing the film with a documentary feel for the exteriors and a saturated neo-noir universe for interiors. There's a spareness to the production that really aids the subject matter. Cast performances are fine, with Tunney really getting to grips with her character, and Suby's score rumbles along ominously. Not to be sought out by blood hounds or Zodiac historians, this is still a better than average picture that holds some interest as it rises above its modest budget limitations. 6/10

The film was nothing short of fantastic. In reading several comments on this site, there was an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. The disappointment was not in reference to the film, but to those who so fool-heartedly badmouthed the film. I was not expecting that much from Zodiac for a couple of reasons. First, serial killer movies are almost always terrible. Second, movies that are supposedly based on actual events are almost always terrible. This film dodges both of these generalizations and is, in my opinion, possibly the best film of 2007. Not only is the direction and photography fantastic, the script is more concise than almost any I have come across. If you are interested in the Zodiac killer and wanted a film that would stick closely to the actual events of the case, then this film will not disappoint. It is extremely accurate and attentive to detail for a Hollywood film. All of the 'flaws' that were pointed out were almost laughably stupid. "It was too long." "The ending is bad." I actually read a comment that said that this film lacked emotion by the actors and should look to Brad Pitt as an example. Of course the film was long! It was an investigation that ruined lives for a decade! Of course there was no climactic ending! The case remains open. It is the subtle details that make the film special. The fact that you just sat through 160 minutes (wow. thats almost an eternity!) and did not get to find out who the killer was says something. If you are frustrated and annoyed, then the film just showed its strength. The frustration and obsession to get some closure parallels that of the story. Imagine Graysmith and Toschi; 30 years have gone by and they never got closure.

THE ZODIAC takes a different look at the famous Zodiac Killer case from other screen treatments of the murders. More than a simple crime story, the film is an emotional thriller focusing on the murders' impact on victims, their families and the wider community. The film follows a police detective (Chambers) from "Grey's Anatomy", and his son (Culkin) who become obsessed with the murders and endanger their family in the process.This movie also stars other TV show stars of current drama, such as Robin Tunney from "Prison Break", William Mapother from "Lost", Rex Linn from "CSI: Miami", and Philip Baker Hall from "The Loop".What touches me most perhaps is that it took place in the town I grew up, The Bay Area of California. Sure, it happened long before I was born, but the fact he was never caught is haunting to a child, whose imagination reinvents in timeless fashion the monsters of yesterday's endless mysteries.Chambers plays a detective who is in over his head. Perhaps if the FBI were more involved early on he might have been caught... I guess we'll never know.A film with decent acting, pacing, music, overall feel is like those suspenseful thrillers I used to see as a kid on TV, and I always enjoyed that personable feeling, almost like no one is in character but just feeling out the story that stays true to the real life mystery we were all left with in the reality of The Zodiac.My rating: 6.5 because it failed to draw the characters in, sadly so little was ever discovered about the Zodiac that there wasn't a lot to go on going into the picture and that hole is painfully clear in the end result. Every subplot to the film is a dead end, mirroring the investigation. We see several times how easily the Zodiac eluded capture due to the ignorance and incompetence of the police.

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.