Zodiac

 

Zodiac (2007)

NEUTRAL
Redbox, In-Theaters
Movie Reviews81%
R
2007, Crime/Mystery & thriller, 2h 37m
RT Critics’ Score: 89% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 72 nominations

 

Critics Consensus

A quiet, dialogue-driven thriller that delivers with scene after scene of gut-wrenching anxiety. David Fincher also spends more time illustrating nuances of his characters and recreating the mood of the ’70s than he does on gory details of murder
 

Audience Consensus

Zodiac is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, even if you already know the ending. With a star-studded cast and a director who knows how to build suspense, this film is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good thriller. Plus, who doesn’t love a little bit of Robert Downey Jr. as a drunken reporter? So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready to be creeped out by the true story of the Zodiac killer.
 
Movie Trailer

Movie Info

Storyline

A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970’s case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie’s focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.

 
Production Company(ies)

 
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
 
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
 
Filming Location(s)
Vallejo, California, USA
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images
 
Year of Release
2007
 

Technical Specs
  • Color:
    Color
  • Sound mix:
    SDDS Dolby Digital DTS
  • Aspect ratio:
    2.39 : 1
  • Runtime:
    2h 37m
  • Language(s):
    English
  • Country of origin:
    United States
  • Release date:
    Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2007 Wide
    Release Date (Streaming): Aug 29, 2006

 
Genre(s)
Crime/Mystery & thriller
 
Keyword(s)
Zodiac, Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Drama, David Fincher, James Vanderbilt, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Bradley J Fischer, Ceán Chaffin, Mark Ruffalo, Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Dermot Mulroney, Brian Cox, reviewed by Adam Nayman, Namrata Joshi, Bob Mondello, Christopher Orr, Mark Bourne, Graham Fuller, Brian Eggert, Matt Brunson, Jason Adams, Eve Tushnet, Toussaint Egan, Gena Radcliffe, R-rated, $33.0M box office, 2h 37m runtime, SDDS, DTS, Dolby Digital, Dolby SRD, Crime, San Francisco, Serial Killer, Investigation, Journalism, Police Procedural, Obsession, Cryptic Messages, Cyphers, Menacing Phone Calls, 1970s, True Story
 

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $84,785,914
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $121,461,579
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 928
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,245,537
 
US/Canada gross: $33,080,084
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $47,389,466
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,099
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,395,610
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $19,190,121
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 677
 
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $65,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $93,116,914
Production budget ranking: 447
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,143,458
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$21,798,793
ROI to date (est.): -15%
ROI ranking: 1,479

 
Movie Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew

Jake GyllenhaalRobert GraysmithMark RuffaloDave ToschiRobert Downey Jr.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Robert Graysmith
Mark Ruffalo
Dave Toschi
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Graysmith
Dave Toschi
Paul Avery
Bill Armstrong
Capt. Lee
Jake Gyllenhaal – Robert Graysmith
Mark Ruffalo – Dave Toschi
Robert Downey Jr. – Paul Avery
Anthony Edwards – Bill Armstrong
Dermot Mulroney – Capt. Lee
Brian Cox – Melvin Belli

 

David FincherJames VanderbiltMike MedavoyArnold MesserBradley J. Fischer
David Fincher
James Vanderbilt
Mike Medavoy
Arnold Messer
Bradley J. Fischer
Director
Writer
Producer
Producer
Producer

Director(s)
David Fincher
 
Writer(s)
James Vanderbilt
 
Producer(s)
Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Bradley J. Fischer, James Vanderbilt, Ceán Chaffin

 
Movie Reviews & Awards
Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 72 nominations
 
Academy Awards

 

Top Reviews
Adam NaymanNamrata JoshiBob MondelloChristopher OrrMark Bourne
Adam Nayman
Namrata Joshi
Bob Mondello
Christopher Orr
Mark Bourne
The Ringer
Outlook
NPR.org
The New Republic
Film.com
ZODIAC
 All Critics (260) | Top Critics (70) | Fresh (232) | Rotten (28)
 More than any American movie of the past decade, Zodiac accepts and embraces irresolvability, which may be why it’s so hypnotically rewatchable.
 
 October 4, 2021
 
 Adam Nayman
 The Ringer
 TOP CRITIC
 Downey Jr is perfect as the alcoholic wastrel of a crime reporter Paul Averi, as is Mark Raffalo as the dependable cop David.
 
 January 25, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Namrata Joshi
 Outlook
 TOP CRITIC
 There are no tidy, last-minute plot twists to make you feel good in Fincher’s Zodiac, just focus — to keep an audience focused — and the most disciplined filmmaking you’ve seen in forever.
 
 October 18, 2008
 
 Bob Mondello
 NPR.org
 TOP CRITIC
 [W]here Se7en, with its stygian gloom and theatrical executions, inflated the serial killer genre to gothic proportions, Zodiac lets the air back out. It is methodical rather than macabre, clinical rather than cruel.
 
 September 18, 2008
 
 Christopher Orr
 The New Republic
 TOP CRITIC
 Fincher, more subdued … and aching for a return to smart suspense films from the likes of Sidney Lumet and Alan J. Pakula, pulls us by the collar into the frame and cranks the sense of menace taut without cheap tricks or cop-out gimmicks.
 
 January 8, 2008
 
 Mark Bourne
 Film.com
 TOP CRITIC
 David Fincher’s sixth feature potently blends the dynamics of the newsroom drama with those of the police procedural.
 
 October 18, 2007
 
 Graham Fuller
 Sight & Sound
 TOP CRITIC
 Like a contagion that festers as easily as it spreads, David Fincher’s methodical Zodiac is catching.
 
 February 14, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
 
 Brian Eggert
 Deep Focus Review
 A satisfying hybrid of a journalism yarn, a police procedural, and a serial killer flick.
 
 November 16, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Matt Brunson
 Film Frenzy
 Here and there bits bob to the surface, and we and the characters think we may have figured something out, only to have the sheer immensity of detail leave the entire thing ultimately unknowable
 
 July 2, 2021
 
 Jason Adams
 My New Plaid Pants
 A chiller, more fatalistic…
 
 June 5, 2021
 
 Eve Tushnet
 Patheos
 Carve out three hours for this thinking-person’s thriller.
 
 February 25, 2021
 
 Toussaint Egan
 Polygon
 David Fincher isn’t rubbing the horrors we inflict on each other in the audience’s face. Here, it’s something more subtle, the creeping fear of I know I’m right…but what do I do now?
 
 December 22, 2020
 
 Gena Radcliffe
 The Spool…

 
Movie Plot & More
Plot
A serial killer in the San Francisco Bay Area taunts police with his letters and cryptic messages. We follow the investigators and reporters in this lightly fictionalized account of the true 1970’s case as they search for the murderer, becoming obsessed with the case. Based on Robert Graysmith’s book, the movie’s focus is the lives and careers of the detectives and newspaper people.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Zodiac on Fresh Kernels.
 
Movie Links Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes

Links
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 
Where to Watch

Where to Watch

 
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Movies, Streaming