Jake Gyllenhaal keeps his head and mesmerises

One of Sunday's traditions is settling down with breakfast in bed and a sample of the Sunday papers. That being so, both Gyllenhaalics and appreciators of a good movie would have been in heaven this morning because the papers were full of Zodiac. Fortuitously, or otherwise, wedged between favourite blockbusters Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in terms of its release date, Zodiac 1 is the film of the week.


Further quotes from a recent Jake Gyllenhaal interview emerged in several papers, in which he elaborated on his fear of submerging himself in the Zodiac world and the mind of obsessive Robert Graysmith. This fear is offset by a brave compulsion to take on roles that Jake's uncanny sense knows to be good: "When I believe in a story I'll do pretty much anything for a movie... It all starts with a good script and then a good director. It all feeds my ego."


As for the experience of filming Zodiac, Jake built up a good rapport with co-stars Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo: "We were an unlikely trio, but these are highly experienced guys, more experienced than I, so I was learning from them all the time, particularly Robert who I was working with a lot more. He's like Tinkerbell, the court jester, kind of dancing around you all the time but consistently inspiring. Just imagine Robert with buckets and buckets full of inspiration, handing them over to everybody he works with, and as an actor that is extraordinary." The author surmises 'somehow you get the feeling it won't be too long before such glowing accolades are being heaped upon Jake by his co-stars. Offers are flooding in for the talented actor who is proving to be one of the most versatile young performers around.' What helps him "keep his head" is his srong Buddhist belief: "I find Buddhism extraordinary. I believe in the energy between people. It clearly exists and I believe in those ideas intuitively. They just resonated with me the moment I read about them."


One of the most touching comments from Jake, for me, out of this interview, is Jake's reflection on what Brokeback Mountain has meant for him personally. "I'm so happy with the result of that film. It definitely changed my life and that's what I take away with me, everything else is just fun."

It's interesting to note that during the release of Zodiac in the US, David Fincher appeared to play no part in any publicity, leaving that entirely to his stars. This time, in the run-up to Cannes and a pan-European release, the director is more than happy to discuss his labour of love. Following his recent interview in The Times, Fincher today appears, alongside Robert Graysmith, in The Telegraph. It is clear that the subject of Zodiac is not the murderer but the books of Robert Graysmith but the interviewer makes clear that Fincher's masterstroke was placing Robert Graysmith centre stage.


Graysmith himself provides the greatest praise for David Fincher and Zodiac, not being able to believe the extent to which Fincher and his producers became sucked into his Zodiac world: "They became obsessed! They uncovered loads of new stuff. They sifted through all the files. They tried to find out things that couldn't really possibly be useful. And only for the sheer joy of getting it right. I think they're equal to the policeman of the past." Graysmith concludes that the film "is the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life" although "when I watch the movie I sob" and, when he saw the script, Graysmith commented: "Now I see why my wife left me".

When asked why he made the film, David Fincher responds that he "made promises to people, and not just to the relatives of those who aren't there anymore to protect themselves. There are differing views of Dave Toschi. There are differing views of Robert Graysmith. There are differing views of Arthur Leigh Allen. It's delicate."


Other comments in the Sunday papers include The Sunday People's judgement on Jake: 'a mesmerising performance' and this verdict on Zodiac: 'Fincher's name is always a seal of quality, but even by his high standards, Zodiac is stunning - gripping, compulsive and complex, it shows the frustrations of the attempt to solve these horrible crimes in a way I've never seen at the cinema before.' The Scotsman celebrates Zodiac as the successor to All the President's Men, describing Zodiac as 'about obsession and procedure, a talk opera in which words speak louder than actions... More than murder, it is a story about storytelling.' Also, 'as nostalgia, Zodiac is compelling. Lovers of Americana will be kept entertained by Fincher's digital rendering of Seventies San Francisco, captured with the director's customary flair, in shots where the camera swoops over the city with the agility of Spider-man.' However, my biased Gyllenhaalic status made me tut-tut when the Scotsman describes Jake in these terms: 'The fact that Gyllenhaal is as pretty as Bambi, and roughly as tough does nothing to alleviate the dread.' Hmmmm.


The Sunday Mirror agrees that Zodiac is the film of the week but concludes that the film is too long for its tastes and 'although Gyllenhaal's character is somewhat bland, he has looks and charm.'

Images from IHJ.