The excellent Jake Gyllenhaal - The Zodiac countdown continues

As the weekend approaches, a weekend in which it seems everyone is off to see Spiderman 3 (including WDW), the countdown to Zodiac in Europe and the UK steps up a pace. May 18 is a mere two weeks away - so close and yet, as it has always seemed, so far. The reviews of Zodiac continue, all heightening the anticipation for a film that continues to receive the best reviews and is being hailed as 'one of the films of the year' (the other, of course, being Rendition...).

We all know what Jake Gyllenhaal the actor is capable of but now the rest of the world will see Jake transform himself into yet another character, this time one who is quietly and almost unflinchingly relentless.



The June edition of Film Review awards Zodiac all of its possible 5 stars and raves that Zodiac is "unmissable. Not only has the director ensured that his is a perfect period piece, with everything from the costumes, to the well-chosen soundtrack, imbuing the screen with two decades worth of nostalgia, but in his casting Fincher has chosen performers fully able to shoulder such a weighty piece. The excellent Gyllenhaal continues to mature as a highly intuitive actor, while both Downey Jr and Ruffalo inhabit their roles with gusto."



It is this thorough, obsessive recreation of facts, clues and details that enables the audience to feel the frustration of David Fincher's knights. Fincher uses every weapon at his disposal to put the audience into the minds of the pursuers of truth. Meticulousness, pedantic detail, endless cross-checking, not to mention quiet despair in the face of disappointed leads or inadequate methods of communication, all combine to make us feel part of the desperate hunt for this hooded killer.



Meticulous detail on the surface is paralleled by understated fear, sometimes even panic, in the minds of the main characters and in the entire Bay area. The horror of the killings themselves, the terror of having become the pursued and the frustration of dealing with cyphers, blooded scraps of clothing, letters, concealed handwriting, anonymous phonecalls - all part of the game - make Zodiac as menacing as Se7en but in an entirely different way. This is played out like a dark dangerous game, with the killer providing both the clues and the deadends.



Fincher's "presence is felt in every scene; he has a personal attachment to every camera movement, every line of dialogue, ensuring that absolutely everything is perfectly placed to contribute to the story. Fincher will not tolerate an ounce of excess fat in his film."

Europe is ready and waiting. Bring it on.

Pictures from IHJ.