The ubiquity of true crime is the lynchpin of Charlie Shackleton’s new documentary, Zodiac Killer Project. Effectively telling the story of what could have been, the film deconstructs a failed project while simultaneously sticking a knife in the side of a wrung-out genre. 

 

I wanted to like this project, but it is tonally dry while trying to have it both ways. Shackleton’s odyssey about adapting a book written by a cop involved with the Zodiac Killer case from the 70s ends up dead in the water. With his original plan dissolved, Shackleton elects to meander through the paces of what the film would have looked like and how he could have pulled it off. 

 

I chalk up this choice to youthful spirit and playful arrogance. Instead of developing a newer, different story, he doubles down with bland narration and static or slow-zoom shots of nothing interesting to pitch us a film we will never see.

 

The parallel to this pursuit is his skewering indictment of the true crime genre, specifically how massively it has been commercialized; the saturation and consumption from the masses are scrutinized. In a particularly humorous scene, we see the gimmicky marketing tricks of the opening credits of popular true crime series produced across various studios.

 

Herein lies the conceit: a storyteller cannot tell the story he wants, so he bites back against the genre he was trying to join. It reeks of superiority and sore feelings. 

 

Zodiac Killer Project does have shining, even humorous moments. Therefore, the sociologically curious true crime aficionados will likely be entertained. When the patterns are uncovered, something is to be said about how commercialized a product is. 

 

Many of its bland choices match the unevenness of the narrative; it feels more like a meditation than a captivating experience. 

 

This film has an audience that will appreciate Shackleton’s mockery of an exploitative genre that has been explored so thoroughly. I feel confident in giving this film a half rating for the devotees.

 

Shackleton’s film aims to uncover the often-shameless truth about the true crime genre by hammering clichés and conventions. However, his indulgences wear down his moral credibility. I admire his attempt to decry the very club he wanted to step into. 

 

He almost pulled it off.