America's love affair with serial
killers has always amazed me. We all get excited when another one of
the demented bastards rears their ugly heads and people who would
deny ever being interested in such madness are riveted by the goings
on.
Folks like Jeffery Dahmer, Ted Bundy,
The Hillside Strangler, The Boston Strangler have grabbed the
attention of everyday folks and brought fear and terror into their
lives. They have all also generated feature films about their lives
and crimes. Some of these films have done big box office while other
have faded into the direct to DVD void.
The latest of these “based on a true
story” serial killer films is ZODIAC directed by David Fincher and
starring Jake Gyllanhall, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo.
It did pretty good box office and
performed well on its initial DVD release but for whatever reason, I
didn't bother to check this one out till this new 2 disc Director's
Cut came my way and I'm glad that I finally took the time to check it
out.
ZODIAC is a well crafted film that
while a little long in the tooth does properly represent the
confusion, terror and madness that this sick bastard brought to the
San Fransisco area in the late 60's and into the 70's. This guy was
smart. He played the crimes like a game and his game captivity the
nation and ruined the lives of not only his victims but also the
lives of those that chose to pursue him.
The film begins with the killing of the
first victims and while not horribly graphic does do a fine job of
setting the tension and tone of the violence to follow. We quickly
meet all the principal characters and are soon completely engulfed in
the killers and persuit of the self proclaimed ZODIAC.
This film is long. Real long. If
you're planning on watching the feature plus the special features set
aside the better part of a day. The film is just under 3 hours and
the special features are exhaustive.
Technically the film is near perfect.
The biggest surprise to me was the performance of Robert Downey Jr.
I had forgotten what a kick ass actor that this dude is. He's had
his share of personal problems and kind of disappeared for a while
but he is back and in fine form. His performance is Oscar worthy.
Director David Fincher does he typical
amazing job behind the camera and while some of the materieal is a
bit dry he manages to keep the film moving and while the film covers
several decades he manages to keep everything in period and damn near
mistake proof.
Good stuff all around.
So, what's all on the disc you ask.
Here ya go:
The
widely praised suspense-thriller based on one of the most shocking
serial killer cases in history arrives in a new, must-own edition
when ZODIAC
Two-Disc Director’s Cut
debuts on DVD and HD DVD January 8, 2008 from Paramount Home
Entertainment. David Fincher, director of Se7en
and Panic Room,
weaves a mesmerizing story of the hunt for the infamous serial killer
who terrorized the Bay Area in this “fascinating, uncompromising”
film that “holds you in its grip from start to finish” (David
Ansen, Newsweek).
ZODIAC
boasts phenomenal performances from Jake Gyllenhaal (Jarhead),
Mark Ruffalo (Collateral)
and Robert Downey, Jr. (Good
Night, and Good Luck)
as some of the many real-life people caught up in ZODIAC’s
world of madness and fear. The ZODIAC
Two-Disc Director’s Cut DVD
and HD DVD presentations feature an extended version of the
theatrical film, as well as over three hours of fascinating, in-depth
bonus material including multi-part explorations of the making of the
film, previsualization of select key scenes, the facts of the
real-life attacks of the ZODIAC
killer and a look
at the prime suspect, Arthur Leigh Allen.
ZODIAC
Two-Disc Director’s Cut DVD
& HD DVD
The
ZODIAC
DVD
is presented
in widescreen enhanced for
16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French
and Spanish subtitles. The HD DVD is presented in 1080p high
definition with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus and English, English
SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The following special
features are presented in standard definition except where noted:
Disc
1:
ś
Commentary
by director David Fincher
ś
Commentary
by Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., producer Brad Fischer,
screenwriter James Vanderbilt and author James Ellroy
Disc
2:
ś
The
Film:
o
ZODIAC
Deciphered
(HD)
o
Blue
Rock Springs (HD)
o
The
San Francisco Chronicle (HD)
o
The
Hall of Justice (HD)
o
Presidio
Heights
(HD)
o
Lake
Berryessa
(HD)
o
Obsession
(HD)
ś
The
Visual Effects of ZODIAC
(HD)
ś
Previsualization
o
Blue
Rock Springs
o
Lake
Berryessa
o
San
Francisco
ś
The
Facts: This is the ZODIAC
Speaking (HD)
o
Lake
Herman Road (HD)
o
Blue
Rock Springs (HD)
o
Lake
Berryessa
(HD)
o
San
Francisco (HD)
ś
Prime
Suspect
o
His
Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen (HD)
ś
Theatrical
Trailer (HD)
You'll notice that the film is coming
out in both standard and HD and that the special features change
based on the version. I checked out the standard version and it is
more than complete in its content.
Love the packaging as well. Overall it is just a 5 star disc from packaging to content.
This 2 disc set comes out on January
8th and is a must have addition to any film lovers
collection.
