Catch him if you can

Rating: 7/10 (18 June 2007)

Zodiac starts out as a shimmering string of Gregory Crewdson style shots, set to the eerie harmonies of Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man. But it mutates twice: first into a strangely hands-off mystery with a clumsy cartoonist as the head investigator, and finally into a tale of obsession. As a result, it's barely short of three hours, but I guess that's what it takes to show the characters' development. Both star journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and his faithful apprentice Robert (Jake Gyllenhall) go to pieces over the case, but in different ways: where Paul turns to the bottle, Robert's manic compulsion to find the killer gets him within two inches of doom. Think "The Number 23", but with less action, better acting and way more visual discipline. Very notable guest appearances by John C Lynch (Norm Gunderson in "Fargo") as the prime suspect, Adam Goldberg (don't miss him in "2 Days in Paris") as a gruffy editorial newcomer, and the amazing Clea DuVall ("Identity") as a highly principled prison inmate.