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Zodiac

Play trailer 2:23 Poster for Zodiac R 2007 2h 37m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 264 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.
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Zodiac

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer 10/04/2021
More than any American movie of the past decade, Zodiac accepts and embraces irresolvability, which may be why it's so hypnotically rewatchable. Go to Full Review
Namrata Joshi Outlook 01/25/2019
3/4
Downey Jr is perfect as the alcoholic wastrel of a crime reporter Paul Averi, as is Mark Raffalo as the dependable cop David. Go to Full Review
Christopher Orr The New Republic 09/18/2008
[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. Go to Full Review
Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 12
5/5
Expert performances and an inventive visual palette make for an all-time great true crime mystery. Go to Full Review
Paul Mount Starburst Jul 25
4/5
Zodiac is a heavily dialogue-driven affair with endless scenes of powerful men arguing in offices. Fincher brings it all to the screen with his trademark attention to detail and tireless quest for truth and verisimilitude. Go to Full Review
Jack Walters Loud and Clear Reviews 01/18/2025
4.5/5
"Zodiac is David Fincher’s take on the investigative thriller, an astute character study that’s driven forward by the dark truth of the killer’s crimes." Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Moira I 09/18/2022 Good thriller, fine cast See more Yash S. @brownvista 2d Absolutely loved this movie. Seems very similar to the real life story and a stacked cast! See more Jake W. @Jake_Wheeles 3d I took a couple days to truly prepare for my review of my favorite movie ever made. Movies serve as a gateway to emotions we hope to seek out. Comfort, laugh, love, fear, thrilling, terrified, bored, so many emotions can come upon us due to the art of film. Zodiac serves as the movie that perfectly matches what I want out of a movie. Dark crime thrillers tend to be my favorite genres of movies. David Fincher's filmography is almost a perfect capsule of the genre of movies I love. Fincher's obsession and attention to detail in his directing creates a beautiful dark twisted love language between the pillars of film making. Fincher's story telling creates a feeling of "I can not turn my head away from the screen," despite the dark depths of the human condition displayed in his movies. Fincher's films create memorable and undeniable characters that serve as perfect vessels for the journey his films want us to take. Dialogue that truly has a purpose and keeps the audience drawn in. Actions throughout the movie that have been finely tuned to add meaning to what's happening on screen. Every detail that would assumingly mean very little to the movie is never overlooked with Fincher. The meeting of all these aspects of movies makes Fincher's work absolutely undeniable. Zodiac is Fincher's true magnum opus. Zodiac IS the perfect crime movie. The grand scale but specific detail of such a true dark story is beautifully represented in the film. The Zodiac Killer was a huge story for the 1960s-1970s. Actually, it is still a massive story to this day with reddit threads still discussing this brutal serial killer. Fincher fully encapsulates the Robert Graysmith novel onto the screen. The paranoia and fear of the time period is perfectly presented. The wide-spread public panic of a serial killer walking amongst the masses illustrates how big the story was even to me, who's father wasn't even born at the time of the first killing. The movie presents at first a perfect thrilling mystery of identifying and stopping the killer. The audience builds the anticipation to the eventual capture of the Zodiac. The story is building to the story book ending of the bad guy losing in the end. However, the movie goes a direction that makes the movie standout amongst the crop of great crime movies. Midway through the film, the movie shifts to a less procedural investigative and into a dive into obsession and the tragedy of not having the answer to a horrific mystery. The movie builds such a great drama of gathering evidence, building theories and overall investigating the Zodiac. The investigation in itself would serve as a all-time crime movie. However, the slow burn of the second half of slowly realizing that this story may not have a happy ending is what I continue to come back for. The movie beautifully conveys the idea of not everything has an explanation or meaning. Evil within humans does not sometimes have a purpose or rationale. The Zodiac investigation has all the details and evidence to push the viewer and our characters to think we know the answer. The eye-opening realization is that we can never be sure. Evil sometimes can win. Despite the tragedy, evil is not always vanquished. Reality is not a fairytale and doesn't end with a storybook ending. Zodiac is the perfect image of this fact. Zodiac ends with our characters all drastically changed due to the Zodiac killer. Characters that may be worse off due to the investigation with nothing concrete to show for it. A killer that was never brought to justice. I believe Fincher wants the story of Zodiac to reflect back on us as an examination of humans. Despite our obsession, or need for finality in our lives we rarely can find it especially in tragic events. Why are people killed? Why does cancer exist? Why did this or that happen to me? The sad part of life is their is not an answer to every question. Some things remain a mystery despite our need for finality. I could talk about Zodiac forever. Maybe Zodiac is my obsession in movies. Zodiac is a necessary viewing for all movie fans. Not for just the thrilling plot or great characters, but the detailed descent into evil and obsession with no answer or reason. Zodiac is not the perfect fairytale, but it is the perfect movie. See more Yaaron R @KompetenterMedi Jan 27 A Mystery That Fades Instead of Lingers Zodiac is competently crafted and well acted, but rarely gripping. The film’s focus on how the investigation consumes everyone involved becomes repetitive, and its attempt to compress years of events into one narrative creates pacing problems. Potential suspects are teased through mild misdirection, yet the eventual reveal feels underwhelming rather than impactful. Nothing is outright terrible, but very little is memorable either. Zodiac ends up in an awkward middle space: watchable, respectable, and ultimately forgettable. See more TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Jan 26 Zodiac is a masterfully crafted true crime thriller that remains gripping from start to finish. The film is creepy, intense, and deeply immersive, never relying on cheap thrills to hold attention. Instead, it builds tension through atmosphere, precision, and obsession. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a captivating performance, pulling the audience into his growing fixation with quiet intensity and focus. Mark Ruffalo brings grounded realism and emotional weight, while Robert Downey Jr. adds sharp intelligence and weary charm that elevates every scene he’s in. Together, they create a powerful ensemble that drives the film forward. The screenplay is exceptionally well written, balancing complexity with clarity while keeping viewers fully invested. The direction is confident and meticulous, allowing the story to unfold without shortcuts or easy answers. What truly sets Zodiac apart is its commitment to truth. It refuses to simplify the case, embracing ambiguity and frustration. See more Gabriel S @Sanarel Jan 19 Zodiac (2007) is a professional re-telling of the events surrounding the infamous serial killing dubbed homonymous, through the perspective of three individuals perhaps not key but definitely tied to the events. The film takes an interesting bold move by being strongly opinionated, and it pays off with the strong cast and their performances. If you have the stomach to endure the tension and some of the shocking scenes, you will find here a thrilling experience that shows that sometimes reality is already a movie. See more Read all reviews
Zodiac

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Zodiac

Zodiac: Official Clip - Paul Avery's Houseboat Zodiac: Official Clip - Paul Avery's Houseboat 2:12 Zodiac: Official Clip - We're Not in Anything Together Zodiac: Official Clip - We're Not in Anything Together 1:01 Zodiac: Official Clip - The Most Dangerous Game Zodiac: Official Clip - The Most Dangerous Game 2:13 Zodiac: Official Clip - I'm Not the Zodiac Zodiac: Official Clip - I'm Not the Zodiac 2:12 Zodiac: Official Clip - Napa Valley Killings Zodiac: Official Clip - Napa Valley Killings 2:09 Zodiac: Official Clip - The Diner Zodiac: Official Clip - The Diner 1:54 Zodiac: Official Clip - This is the Zodiac Speaking Zodiac: Official Clip - This is the Zodiac Speaking 2:13 Zodiac: Official Clip - I Didn't Know You Had a Baby Zodiac: Official Clip - I Didn't Know You Had a Baby 2:13 Zodiac: Official Clip - Sunset Trailer Park Zodiac: Official Clip - Sunset Trailer Park 2:12 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.
Director
David Fincher
Producer
James Vanderbilt, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Bradley J. Fischer, Ceán Chaffin
Screenwriter
Robert Graysmith
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount, Phoenix Pictures, Warner Bros.
Rating
R (Drug Material|Brief Sexual Images|Language|Some Strong Killings)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 2, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$33.0M
Runtime
2h 37m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, Dolby SRD, SDDS, DTS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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