The Director’s Cut on this 2- disc Special Edition runs just under 5m longer than the theat- rical version captured on the first DVD release. The added mate- rial is so innocuous that at least one online reviewer refers to the new version as the same cut. The most notable additions are a 2m sequence in which three cops talk to a speaker phone as they try to convince a judge to grant a search warrant and a 1m stretch of black screen that bridges sev- eral years in the narrative with a sound montage. These changes will not cause any undecided viewer to like ZODIAC more. If there’s one thing upon which both fans and detractors of ZO- DIAC can agree, however, it is that the special features added to this release truly are special. The design of the packaging, based on an actual envelope ad- dressed by the Zodiac to the CHRONICLE, is a clever touch. The main feature comes with two solid audio commentaries, one by Fincher and the other featuring Vanderbilt, Gyllenhaal, Downey, producer Brad Fischer and, surprisingly, noted crime fic- tion king James Ellroy (whose own mother was a murder vic- tim). Ellroy has no direct connec- tion to the movie and little prior familiarity with the actual case, but he considers ZODIAC to be one of “the half-dozen greatest American crime films” and his often-profane interaction with Vanderbilt and Fischer fuels this commentary. Ellroy gets bleeped out at one point, and consider- ing the things he says that are not bleeped out, one has to won- der just what did get censored. It’s probably appropriate that Ellroy sums up ZODIAC as “an epic film about unknowability.” Gyllenhaal and Downey do not interact with the others, and their comments are comparatively fewer and of lesser interest.
Gyllenhaal does point out the irony of John Carroll Lynch play- ing his nemesis, as Lynch had earlier portrayed Gyllenhaal’s father in the 2001 comedy BUBBLE BOY. Gyllenhaal also points out that Charles Fleischer did double duty by providing the phone-in voice of the previously mentioned mental patient. Director Fincher provides a well-spoken and detailed solo commentary in which he re- sponds to criticisms and dis- cusses dramatic license. Fincher grew up in the Bay Area and places personal importance on the story. Appropriate for a film about obsession, Fincher also points out shots that required numerous takes (as many as 60), as well as scenes that were shot a second time to improve on them (though, in some cases, the original material was used any- way). Fincher does come across as cold; there is no indication that the brutal crimes he has recre- ated particularly move or disturb him.
While the commentaries are of interest, the real deal here is the second disc, which di- vides the documentaries and featurettes up into “The Film” and “The Facts.” THE VISUAL EF- FECTS OF ZODIAC (15m 15s) is an astounding featurette that reveals just how much of the film’s visual reality was either seamlessly created from noth- ing or visually reconstructed. “Previsualization” (6m 28s) com- pares the murder sequences from the finished film with pre- production animatics via split- screen, clearly showing the high level of detailed planning that went into the making of ZODIAC. ZODIAC DECIPHERED (54m 11s) is an interesting behind-the- scenes documentary that in- cludes glimpses of additional deleted scenes as well as shoots, rehearsals and location scouts.
The real David Toschi visits the set but unfortunately does not appear in any of the other supple- ments or provide any of his own direct insights into the case. Oddly, Fincher himself does not appear amongst any of the talk- ing heads. A theatrical trailer (2m 32s) is also included.
“The Facts” consists of two documentaries, one feature- length. THIS IS THE ZODIAC SPEAKING (102m 9s), produced and directed by David Prior, is a valuable primer on the confirmed Zodiac murders that reveals pre- viously overlooked information. Many of the investigating officers were newly interviewed for the film, although Toschi and Arm- strong are not among them. It is hard to come away from this without believing that San Fran- cisco police officers actually stopped the Zodiac within min- utes of committing a murder, only to obliviously let him go. The doc also makes use of morgue and crime scene photos that bring the inhumanity of the Zo- diac into stark focus. The most affecting portions are interview segments with two surviving vic- tims, one of whom is a shattered wreck of a human being, while the other appears psychologically dissociated, able to discuss the horrible events he experienced as if they happened to someone else. While this longer documen- tary is excellent, HIS NAME WAS ARTHUR LEIGH ALLEN (42m 31s) is perhaps more remarkable in that it defeats expectations by providing an even-handed ap- praisal of ZODIAC’s prime sus- pect. It even deflects some suspicion from the accused back on his accuser, a former friend of Allen’s who is portrayed quite positively in the feature (by John Hemphill) and also served as a consultant. The real Robert Graysmith also appears, still hop- ing for a resolution to the case
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