Zodiac was an excellent drama about the search for a real-life serial killer

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2008)

When my dad decided to watch Zodiac, he asked if I wanted to join him. I agreed to even though the movie was 162 min. I was so enthralled I didn't care about the length after a while. Director David Fincher provides the most compelling drama of this real-life serial killer despite most of the scenes leading to several false leads and one man's complete obsession to get the right man. Jake Gyllenhaal is that obsessed man, a cartoonist named Robert Graysmith whose Eagle Scout demeanor leads to his determination of finding what makes this killer tick to the point of following reporter Paul Avery's (Robert Downey, Jr.) files and later browbeating police inspector David Toschi's (Mark Ruffalo) time. This then leads to a strained marriage with Melanie (Chloe Sevigny). Also of note are performances of Anthony Edwards (Inspector William Armstrong), John Caroll Lynch (suspect Arthur Leigh Allen), Brian Cox (lawyer Melvin Belli), Richmond Arquette, Bob Stephenson, and John Lacey (other Zodiac killer suspects). The whole thing just enthralled me from beginning to end and I especially was on the edge of my seat when Graysmith visited this man's house who used to work at a theatre where a Zodiac suspect was a projectionist. So on that note, I highly recommend David Fincher's Zodiac.