Zodiac Killer Movies | Zodiac Murders | The Zodiac Movie

Also see: ULTIMATE Zodiac Video

RATINGS SYSTEM: ZZZZ=Excellent, ZZZ=Good, ZZ=Average, Z=Poor

	*Dirty Harry* ZZZZ 1971, Warner Bros. Directed by Don Siegel Buy at Amazon.com ------------------------- Andy Robinson plays the killer called Scorpio and Clint Eastwood stars in the title role as the San Francisco cop trying to catch him in this Zodiac-based classic. While Dirty Harry is not a fact-based account of the Zodiac crimes, there are enough tidbits of realism to satisfy Zodiac buffs. For example: Scorpio's letters are written in the style of Zodiac's. And, near the end of the film, Scorpio actually targets a full school bus, just as Zodiac threatened to. Besides great action and suspense, Dirty Harry is also a message movie -- and a controversial one at that. As a result, the original choice for the role of Harry, Frank Sinatra, bailed from the project. However, in the event there's someone on this planet who has yet to see Dirty Harry, I won't spoil it by revealing exactly what the message is. And if you're not into message movies, just sit back and enjoy the afros, bellbottoms, funky soundtrack and over-the-top performance of Robinson.
	*The Zodiac* ZZ 1/2 2005, ShadowMachine Films Directed by Alexander Bulkley Buy at Amazon.com -------------------------------- When The Zodiac debuted on March 17, 2006, it became the first movie about the Zodiac case to appear in theaters in 35 years. While there are more Zodiac films on the way (including a big-budget blockbuster), true-crime buffs certainly owe the makers of The Zodiac a debt of thanks for breaking that lengthy cinematic dry spell. Meanwhile, followers of the Zodiac case should be thankful for a film that delivers much more than the film's meager (by Hollywood standards, at least) $1 million budget should have allowed. Filmed almost entirely in the Vallejo (Calif.) area -- the Zodiac killer's real-life hunting grounds -- The Zodiac has a very authentic look and feel. The film's soundtrack is especially engaging. My biggest gripes: The names of the victims and crime locations are changed. Also, the film's version of the Zodiac's Lake Herman Road murders (of Dec. 20, 1968) appear to have been committed in the summer, thus losing what could have been additional elements of realism and spookiness. I also felt the main character (a Vallejo detective) is rather stereotypical and annoying. However, considering the film's good points, my last gripe is rather incidental. All things considered, The Zodiac is absolutely worth the price of admission (or rental) and a fine accomplishment.
	*The Limbic Region* ZZ 1996, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Directed by Michael Pattinson Buy at Amazon.com -------------------------------- Based on real-life characters from the Zodiac case, The Limbic Region tells the story of an obsessed cop trying to catch a killer. Edward James Olmos plays the cop, Jon Lucca, a character modeled after retired Zodiac detective David Toschi of the San Francisco Police Dept. Lucca's nemesis in the film is Lloyd, an odd, brilliant loner-type played by George Dzundza and modeled after Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen. The film's cat-and-mouse game between cop and suspect is supplemented nicely by recreations of Lloyd's suspected crimes through flashback scenes. The elusive, publicity-seeking killer in The Limbic Region doesn't call himself Zodiac; it's instead "Scorekeeper." Scorekeeper's letters are almost identical in content to the Zodiac's, but the handwriting is much different. Scorekeeper's crimes differ as well. For example, Scorekeeper's cab-driving victim is a black female; Zodiac's was a white male. Still, this film is closer to being an authentic Zodiac movie than Dirty Harry and it's world's better than The Zodiac Killer (see review below), so I recommend it.
	*Zodiac Killer* Z 2005, Open Grave Productions Directed by Ulli Lommel Buy at Amazon.com -------------------------------- This really isn't a movie about the Zodiac case, so reviewing it requires a certain discretion. Not a documentary or straight fiction piece, Zodiac Killer is more of a visual true-crime acid trip -- without the true-crime. In retrospect, I'm still not sure what the heck was going on, although it had nothing to do with the Zodiac case as we know it. (However, had it been director Ulli Lommel's intent to make a fact-based film about the Zodiac, I have no doubt he would have succeeded.) If you're looking for a film to educate yourself about the Zodiac case, Zodiac Killer probably isn't for you. However, this movie does feature several scenes involving a certain website (Zodiackiller.com!) that might be able to help you learn.
	*The Zodiac Killer* -Z 1971, Adventure Productions Inc. Directed by Tom Hanson Buy at Amazon.com ------------------------------------- The Zodiac Killer, also called Zodiak and The Zodiak Killer, might just be the worst film ever made. In fact, I find it amazing that the real Zodiac, who apparently quit killing in 1969, didn't come out of retirement to do in the makers of this crap. (Or perhaps Zodiac just felt a more severe punishment would be for them to read reviews of their work.) Despite its low budget, had this film simply stuck to the real-life story of the Zodiac it would have been much, much better. Instead, The Zodiac Killer is the low-brow story of "Jerry," a psycho postman who kills people every way imaginable, including slamming one victim's head repeatedly with the hood of a car and pushing another victim's wheelchair over a cliff. Oh yeah, he also talks to rabbits.