Zodiac
2-Disc Director’s Cut
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, Chloë Sevigny, Anthony Edwards
Available Jan. 8, 2008

The huge popularity of true-crime stories shows just how fascinated by serial killers we are. There’s something about a person who can kill without remorse and make a game of it that people find entertaining in a macabre sense.

For that reason alone David Fincher‘s Zodiac was guaranteed to draw a crowd, and though the new director’s cut of the film isn’t likely to change many fans’ opinions, the two-disc set on which it appears is a must-have.

Clearly, everything about this new version was made with fans of true-crime in mind. Even the DVD case itself is crafted to look like one of the Zodiac killer’s first packages sent to the San Francisco Chronicle. The cut of the film is only slightly longer (by 4 minutes) than the original, but includes two separate commentaries, one from Fincher, and another from the film’s stars.

The film itself is a great piece of true-crime cinema, following cartoonist-turned-author Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) over the years as he becomes obsessed with the unsolved Zodiac murders. If there are people who see the world through rose-colored glasses, the opposite can be said for Fincher, who seems to see the world under harsh florescent lights that give him a sometimes ugly, but nonetheless realistic view of humanity’s dark underbelly. Fincher is once again able to bring that dark sense of unease to the screen that we saw in Se7en, but more disturbingly by doing so with a true story.

As mentioned in an interview, the film’s realism and accuracy is certainly the result of the filmmakers choosing only to show that which is known for a fact. The Zodiac’s crimes are only shown when a survivor was able to recount the details, and while the film does imply the guilt of Arthur Leigh Allen, it is never explicitly stated or shown to be true. This makes all the difference in the world for fans of true-crime, as films that go beyond and this to attempt to solve the crime for us, such as the recent Black Dahlia, end up poorly received.

As mentioned, however, while the film’s differences from the original may not warrant a purchase, the second disc alone is worth it. This is, perhaps, the first time the bonus features presented with a movie are as interesting as, if not more than, the feature film itself.

A feature-length documentary interviews the people involved in the real Zodiac case — both investigators and survivors. To hear eyewitness accounts described in vivid detail not only sends shivers down the spine, it gives further credit to the filmmakers for their amazing recreation of the major events. The most outstanding example of this is the area around Lake Berryessa, which has severely eroded in the last 40 years. To make the area look the way it once did, the filmmakers planted grass and brought in appropriate-looking trees via helicopter! The shear amount of work that went into preserving the authenticity of the film both narratively and visually is astounding.

A separate documentary focuses exclusively on Allen, the man most commonly believed to be the Zodiac killer. With interviews from law-enforcement officials and friends of Allen, the documentary gives more information than the film could hold, but obviously still leaves the big question unanswered, which is likely to biggest draw of all.

These documentaries are a must-see for fans of true-crime, which will likely be most people who buy this 2-disc DVD edition. Overall, this two-disc set is defiantly worth purchasing for fans of the film, or the case itself. There’s enough information crammed onto both discs to keep you entertained for hours, but it may give you nightmares too.