The Zodiac (film)

The Zodiac

Promotional movie poster
Directed by Alexander Bulkeley
Produced by Corey Campodonico
Written by Kelley Bulkeley
Alexander Bulkeley
Starring Justin Chambers
Robin Tunney
Rory Culkin
Philip Baker Hall
Brad Henke
Marty Lindsey
Rex Linn
William Mapother
Music by Michael Suby
Cinematography Denis Maloney
Edited by Greg Tillman
Distributed by THINKFilm
Release dates
  • July 31, 2005 (2005-07-31) (München Fantasy Filmfest)
  • March 17, 2006 (2006-03-17) (United States)
Running time
 97 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1 million[1]
Box office $86,872[2]

The Zodiac is a 2005 American criminal psychological thriller[3] film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and 1970s who has never been captured. The Zodiac was directed by Alexander Bulkeley and written by him and his brother, Kelly Bulkeley.

The film was released on March 17, 2006 into just 10 theaters on limited release[2] (with an R-rating by the MPAA)[4] and later released on DVD in North America on August 29, 2006.[5] The DVD hit the UK market on September 18.[6]

Plot

When two teenagers are gunned down on Lake Helena (in real-life, Herman) Road on December 20, 1968, the small town of Vallejo (Benicia) is thrown into a state of terror. Assigned to the case is Police Detective Matt Parish (Justin Chambers)[7] of the Vallejo Police Department. With few leads, the case goes unsolved and the emotional attachment causes heartache for Parish's family; wife Laura (Robin Tunney)[7] and 12-year-old son (Rory Culkin).[7]

Six months later on July 4 – as Parish begins to lose hope – the Zodiac strikes again. This time he guns down a couple in a deserted parking lot. He's inches away as he pulls the trigger, but he never reveals his true identity. Just an hour after the shooting, the Vallejo Police Department receives an anonymous call, confessing to the murders that have just taken place. Days after the second murder, a letter is sent to Bay Area newspapers the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner, threatening that 12 more people will die unless the three papers print the encoded letter they've just received. The killer reveals that if they can decipher the note, his true identity will be revealed.

It becomes an obsession for Det. Parish to solve the case. He spends all his time with the coded sheet, sketches composed of the killer and various psychological reports, putting a greater strain on his family. The ever increasing publicity pushes him to the edge. When Parish receives more anonymous calls and ciphered letters (some suggesting the threatening chance that his next victim could be one of Parish's family), he thinks he's got his suspect. Disobeying orders by Chief Frank Perkins (Philip Baker Hall)[7] he goes in search for the killer. When he storms into the suspect's house, his allegations are shattered because the man has no relation to the murders.

The police later hear of more killings, but the case doesn't get anywhere close to being resolved. On April 24, 1978, ten years after the first reported murder, the Chronicle receives another letter:

“ I'm waiting for a good movie about me. Who will play me…? This is the Zodiac. I am now in control of all things. ”

The film ends with the statement that the killer has not been captured.

Cast

Production

Research

The two Bulkley brothers, and producer Corey Campodonico all grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. When they wanted to make their debut onto the filmmakers scene, and all figured it was a great story to adapt due to their history and knowledge of the location.[8]

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes Alexander Bulkley said:

“ I lived in the Bay Area where he was somewhat of a local legend. Every town has a 'boogie man' and he was ours. The stories of the murders kept us kids awake at night. ”

With their idea in mind, Alexander and Kelly set about researching reports and documents related to the Zodiac story. They managed to find their main source of information from newspapers and media articles from around the time to fuel the project.[8] They finally decided upon telling the story of the detective involved on the case, and how it affected himself and family. They felt that it would be more emotional to the viewers, helping with their interaction in the story, than following the psychological path of the killer.[9]

They chose very distinct routes in the film, avoiding areas like the impact of the killings on the family. They say it was due to the killer's interest in the murders he committed, because he was never really interested in who his victims were.[9]

The filmmakers main challenge was to keep the originality of the film, and to keep it authentic to the story. When questioned about this by Emanuel Levy (an online movie review site) they responded with:

“ For many people making films based on true stories, it is always tempting to veer off into the fictional world to satisfy story elements. It was very challenging to maintain the integrity of the true story. We had a certain amount of events that we knew had occurred to create the composite characters for the law enforcement officers. In the end I think we were able to achieve our goal and a lot of true crime fanatics will really appreciate the film. ”

Once the screenplay was written by the Bulkley brothers, and Corey Campodonico, they gathered investors to finance the project and made it ShadowMachine Films first ever film production, which the three of them founded.[8]

Filming

The filming lasted 23 days. The Zodiac was filmed on location in Vallejo, California, where a large majority of the murders were committed. The film was finally released on March 17, 2006 in 10 movie cinemas.

Soundtrack

The film contained various musical compositions that accompanied different scenes from the movie. Some of the music had already been used in films such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day.[10]

The soundtrack contains some of the following pieces by Andy Williams, The Chambers Brothers, William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan:

Track Name Artist Writer Track Length (mins)
With a Girl Like You The Troggs Reg Presley 02:09[11]
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Andy Williams Edward Pola & George Wyle 02:47[12]
Papa Noel Brenda Lee Roy Botkin -
The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze William S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan - -
Trouble No More Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield 02:39[13]
Time Has Come Today The Chambers Brothers Joseph Chambers & Willie Chambers 11:00[14]

Critical reception

The film was widely panned by critics. The Rotten Tomatoes website, which compiles mostly North American reviews, showed that just seven out of 28 reviews were positive, with the average critic's grade being four out of 10.[15]

The website classed the film as just 27% "rotten",[15] with users giving it a better rating of 58%.[16]

References

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