Zodiac - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

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3 1/2 STARS - I remember the news reports when I was a kid growing up in Sacramento and remember how uptight and worried my parents and others were. When I watched this movie I was so into the story but the movie seemed to be a bit boring and slow. At least they did not HOLLYWOOD it up too much and add unreal blow um up action scenes. True real life really is boring so this movie was about right on. I watched it and dug it but I can't see watching it again...maybe in a couple years i'll see it again.

I say watch it and see what you think. It is good enough to watch at least once.

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Zodiac - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

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There was no way Zodiac needed to be as long as it was. It dragged not long into it, though I really tried to embrace this film. It is a very dry type of film with a lot of different timelines and confusing aspects to keep track of. There is almost too much going on, but at the same time, there really is no actual action. There is some suspence and mystery, but for a film and true life event where there was no acual ending, it didn't really matter. There is alot of facts, but also alot of speculation and fabrication going on with this movie.

The story of the Zodiac killer is actually quite interesting but again, since the case was never really solved, and with the movie not really doing anything except revisiting that span of time, the movie feels a tad wasted.

The acting is really the redeaming quality of this film, with everyone doing a fantastic and believable job, especially Robert Downey Jr and Jake Gyllenhaal. They really worked well onscreen. However, a major fact remains that their respective characters were actually never even friends in real life. According to imdb, their relationship was 'fictionalized for the film'.

Perhaps this film needs more than one viewing to really appreciate it and to understand the key players and the facts about the crimes, but I don't think I can sit through almost 2 and a half hours again of boring dialogue.

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Zodiac - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

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Zodiac (Two-Disc Director's Cut) [HD DVD]

This review refers to HD-DVD 2-disc edition set. Movie is sort of documentary type trying to accurately portray Zodiac killings from late '60s. It is pretty long at 2:42 minutes and somewhat boring. Killings occur within first hour while speculation and bogus theories continue until the end. Movie is based on the book Zodiac written by Robert Graysmith, cartoonist who worked at the time of killings at SF Chronicle newspaper. His findings about Zodiac are completely bogus pointing into wrong direction. After his book was published, police compared handwriting, DNA sample and fingerprints with Graysmith's main suspect Arthur Leigh Allen and conclusively find that he wasn't Zodiac.

Regardless of Graysmith's hallucinations, Fincher's movie is really good. Excellent directing not leaving a single detail untouched with gorgeous HD picture and very nice special effects that brought 70's back to the screen in fullest are worth watching. Thanks to being based on poorly written book I wouldn't give this movie more than 3 stars but the second disc with 3 and a half hours of extras including interviews with two survivors of Zodiac killings and other real life participants make this set superb recap of Zodiac killings worth watching for everyone interested in serial killers. That is why I gave 5 stars to this movie.

What people more want to know is who really Zodiac was. There hasn't been offered a single valid theory that would explain his killings and the man behind them. Only four killings were officially assigned as Zodiac's while the rest are unconfirmed.

1. David Arthur Faraday, 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, 16: Shot and killed on December 20, 1968, on Lake Herman Road just within the city limits of Benicia.

2. Michael Renault Mageau, 19, and Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin, 22: Shot on July 4, 1969, at the Blue Rock Springs Golf Course parking lot on the outskirts of Vallejo; Darlene was DOA at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, while Michael survived.

3. Bryan Calvin Hartnell, 20, and Cecelia Ann Shepard, 22: Stabbed on September 27, 1969 at Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Hartnell survived six stab wounds to the back, but Shepard died of her injuries two days later.

4. Paul Lee Stine, 29: Shot and killed on October 11, 1969, in Presidio Heights in San Francisco.

The key of finding Zodiac is the fourth killing where pattern of killing love couples in rural areas around San Francisco has been broken. I made some research and find out that fourth killing occurred exactly one year after shooting and killing of Michael Bunch, 19-year-old anti-war serviceman while trying to escape Presidio military base. He was confined for being AWOL and imprisoned together with other anti-war servicemen. It is strange that no one noticed this detail. Who is the killer and why?

Killer called himself Zodiac which is a circular or elliptical diagram representing this belt, and usually containing pictures of the animals, human figures, etc., that are associated with the constellations and signs. Duration of one cycle is one year and if you check out his killings you will see that all of them happened between October 11th, 1968 and October 11th, 1969. Motive is most obviously revenge for Bunch's killing and culprit according to Zodiac is society itself. He is most likely left-wing anti-war radical who wanted to change society by killings and terror. From details released by the police he was a GI probably working at Presidio or other military base. The best search for him would be to question all anti-war GIs stationed in San Francisco at that time, particularly group known as Nine4Peace that used to protest by chaining themselves to priests in churches in San Francisco Area in July of 1968.

Sign used by Zodiac is actually Celtic cross which might explain why he used it if we know that GIs protested at churches. It has nothing to do with Zodiac brand of watches and represents sun cross. Zodiac was clearly inspired by religion and mythology in his first deciphered letter when he mentioned his victims becoming his slaves to serve him in paradise. The most difficult part is how did he choose his killing dates? These dates actually reveal true message of Zodiac while cyphered letters were just a decoy.

Zodiac message is Nine4Justice Presidio. First killings were under Sagittarius which is ninth sign of Zodiac, second one were under Cancer which is fourth sign of Zodiac, third one were under Libra which is number seven but stands for justice and final killing was on the anniversary of killing of Michael Bunch. It happened on Presidio Heights and then after killing he went straight to Presidio military base.

If you examine mythology of these astral signs you can find out that Sagittarius is associated with Satyr who represents sex drive. That's why he killed love couples in the first place. Cancer is associated with hydra which represents corrupt society that needs to be cut and sealed by fire to prevent it from further corruption. That's why he kills not talk or try to convince others in his ideas. Libra as already mentioned represents justice. Some also wondered about why Zodiac uses two stamps. All numbers divided by 2 are called even. Since he is done all those killings as a revenge to get EVEN for killing of Michael Bunch then it makes perfect sense to use two stamps to point this out.

I intentionally wrote this review on 40th anniversary of killing of Michael Bunch that started Zodiac killings. I sincerely hope that he will be caught or if dead, his identity revealed to bring back some peace to the victims of his gruesome killings.

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