Zodiac (Two-Disc Director's Cut) [HD DVD] | ![Zodiac (Two-Disc Director's Cut) [HD DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517KWDxqdnL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: David Fincher
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $8.48
You Save: $31.51 (79%)
New (11) Used (18) from $7.79
Rating:  245 reviews
Sales Rank: 23329
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: HD DVD
Region: 0
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 157 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: PARHD131334
UPC: 097361313344
EAN: 0097361313344
ASIN: B000XCZGVI
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: January 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 01/08/2008 Run time: 162 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
Closer in spirit to a police procedural than a gory serial-killer flick, David Fincher's Zodiac provides a sleek, armrest-gripping re-invention of the crime film. It surveys the investigation of the Zodiac killings that terrorized the San Francisco Bay area in the late -60-early -70s; Zodiac not only killed people, but cultivated a Jack the Ripper aura by sending icky letters to the newspapers and daring readers to solve coded messages. But the film's focus isn't on the killer. We follow the reporters and detectives whose lives are taken over by the case, notably an addictive crime writer (a sartorially splendid Robert Downey Jr.), an awkward editorial cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal), and a hard-working cop (Mark Ruffalo). Fincher and his brilliant cinematographer Harris Savides are deft at capturing the period feel of the city, without laying on the seventies kitsch, and James Vanderbilt's script doles out its big moments to major and minor characters alike. Fincher's confidence is infectious; the movie glides through its myriad details with such dexterity that even the blind alleys and red herrings seem essential. The well-chosen cast includes unexpected people popping up all over: Anthony Edwards as a lunch-bucket homicide cop; Charles Fleischer as a mysterious suspect; Elias Koteas and Donal Logue as small-town policemen whose districts are hit by Zodiac; Chloe Sevigny as Gyllenhaal's sweet-natured wife; Brian Cox as the media-friendly lawyer Melvin Belli, so famous he once appeared on Star Trek; and the mighty John Carroll Lynch, as a supremely creepy suspect. The film is based on non-fiction books by Robert Graysmith (he's portrayed by Gyllenhaal), although Fincher and co. did extensive research on their own. The result is a propulsive whodunit without (thus far) an ending, but the uncertainty makes the film even more intriguing. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 240 more reviews...
Well-Done Crime Drama June 19, 2009
John S. Gamble (San Diego, CA)
I really enjoyed this film.
Unfortunately, it was inhibited by its source material.
The film was very well done, as far as it goes. Great performances by Robert Downey Jr. and the entire, sprawling cast.
What mitigated the film's power was the fact that it had to stick to its roots as a "true story."
In true life, as in the film, the Zodiac investigation(s) (there were many, all over CA and Washington, DC) were drawn-out, dropped altogether, grew cold and finally resuscitated again. This fragmented, meandering timeline takes its toll on the film's pacing.
In addition, the "lead" character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, was somewhat of a schlubby cartoonist. Oh that damn "truth" again, rearing it's undramatic head.
And finally, after all of those years and lives shattered and man-hours expended on the notorious case, it was never actually resolved. There was never an arrest in the case. No justice served up - no satisfactory ending for all of the people involved.
Not exactly the stuff of great fiction. But then again, unfortunately, the Zodiac killer wasn't someone's fiction.
But even working within these stringent parameters, the film was engrossing and worth your time. Especially if you enjoy noir and crime drama. Then I'd highly recommend it.
 Awesome movie June 13, 2009
Eric Denney (Santa Clarita, California)
I'm sure many thorough reviews have been written for this movie so I'm not going to waste a lot of time. Bottom line, this is an excellent movie that I have watched many times, and every time I watch it I notice some small detail that I didn't notice previously. The case itself was fascinating, and one that would have easily been solved with modern forensics and crime scene work, but in that time and in the rural locations that most of them occurred, crime scene investigation was rudimentary at best.
As far as the difference between the director's cut edition and the no frills version that was released in theaters, with respect to the movie itself the differences are minute to say the least. I can easily say that this was the worst director's cut of a movie in terms of what you get in the way of additional footage, and what impact that footage has on the movie. It's only like 4 minutes of additional footage as I recall, and none of it actually adds anything to the movie, in fact if anything those added scenes only make it drag, and rightly belonged on the cutting room floor.
That said, the value of the director's cut edition is in the extras which can be found on the second disc in the form of interviews that were done with nearly every significant person that was involved with the case, from the survivors to the policemen, sheriffs, reporters, friends of the prime suspect etc. etc.. Nearly every major person was still alive and interviewed for the movie. The extras disc is actually just as compelling to watch as the movie itself, and at times will have you convinced of the guilt of prime suspect, and at other times will leave you seriously questioning it.
Sadly what was noticeably missing from this version were the deleted scenes, none are to be found on either the basic Zodiac DVD or the Director's Cut edition, yet we know from some of the extras on the Director's Cut second disc that there were certainly some that existed. This was a big disappointment to me because when you really enjoy a movie, you want to see any additional footage that exists and decide for yourself whether or not it should have been deleted.
Anyway, that's it for this review. I strongly encourage everyone to go out and purchase the movie. If you're only interested in the movie itself then don't waste your money on the more expensive Director's Cut edition, but if you think you might want to see all the extras then this is definitely the DVD for you.
Fincher is the King of Crime-Drama June 8, 2009
Zac T. Chance (Milwaukee, WI)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Personally, I enjoy this film more than any of Fincher's others, and I am a big fan of his. One of the things that surprised me is that I really didn't mind Jake Gylenhaal, whom I normally would not go out of my way to see. At times, this film can be intentionally slow, and you just need to stick with it. I remember a few hours after I saw this film on opening night, I was actually afraid to go out to my car. It was the idea that this messed up killer operated in the real world, and was never caught. With ZODIAC, you get a creepiness that pounds at you without your knowledge, and you don't realize until you have to disassociate your real life from the movie. This particular disc is loaded, and the extras including fascinating documentaries are awesome. I could not recommend this movie more, and if you don't like it, you're probably lame.
Long, but worth it May 7, 2009
J. BRADLEY (Guam)
This movie starts out a bit grisly, with a couple of random murders, then transforms into a journalist/detective flic. It has plenty of twists and turns (as expected), but because it is based upon a true story, the ending is somewhat anticlimactic.
Zodiac April 8, 2009
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great experience. arrived on time and was in excellent condition. I will let all my friends know.
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