A truly informative and enjoyable film. The best of the year so far.

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2007)

David Fincher, better known for the blood fests Se7en as well as Fight Club ( both great movies ) has shown considerable restraint in his newest film Zodiac. Not that this takes away from the drama when the killings do happen; in a way they are more confronting than in the above two movies because of the knowledge that this actually happened. So while Se7en may be about 7 different ways to kill a person, this is about four men attempting to crack an impossible case- a case without precedent.
The movie starts with the shooting of the teenagers on Lake Valleho, which then leads to the San Fransico Chronicle. Crime writer Paul Avery ( Robert Downey Jr. ) and cartoonist Robert Graysmith ( Jake Gyllanhall ) become embroiled in the case as they attempt to delve deeper into the crimes. Meanwhile, at the SFPD, Inspectors Toschi and Armstrong ( Mark Ruffolo and Anthony Edwards respectively ) are attempting to wade through a ton of red tape in order to collaborate the pattern of Zodiac's killings, which have occurred in all sorts of jurisdictions. It seems to be a case without answers, as every time a lead comes, there is an expert to tell them to move on. One of the best scenes of the movie is Toschi walking out of a Dirty Harry film as the movie shows a similar letter from the 'Scorpio' killer.
Zodiac is a movie that never seems to drag, despite the fact that there is little blood and gore for a Fincher film. What there is, however, is a wonderful true story about how catching a killer is never easy as it seems; no matter what you try to throw at him.