Lengthy but worthwhile serial killer yarn from David Fincher

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2007)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
The 'Zodiac killer' began his reign of terror in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s, killing young couples in isolated areas. He would continue his sick little game for another two decades and several detectives, including Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) would be driven round the bend in their desperate hunt for him.
Despite the rave reviews, Zodiac was a film I still managed to miss when it showed in theatres. Maybe it had something to do with Se7en never being one of my favourite flicks, but more likely it was the length. I'm one of these people who loves the cinema but suffers from horrible bum-ache if I'm required to sit down in a cinema seat for too long.
Towards the end of the film, it has started to drag on a little and the plot has begun to get a bit wavey and meandering, but generally Fincher has crafted a gripping tale that won me over more than Se7en. Whereas that film was relentlessly bleak and moody, here that tone is mixed with scenes with a bit more humour and light, as well as a funky, cool 70s soundtrack. Two scenes do stand out as especially unsettling, namely a scene where a couple are tied up and stabbed to death by a lake and a killing in a taxi cab where the camera slowly backs away as 'Ring a Ring of Roses' creepily plays over it.
There would need to be some good performances to keep the boat floating, of course, and the cast all deliver, with Gyllenhaal showing his developing maturity as a serious actor in the lead role, along with good support from Ruffalo and a straight and sober Downey Jr., making his role all his own as the eccentric older detective.
Too many people would disagree with me for it to have effect but personally I'd say Fincher has shown a better knack for real serial killer stories than made up ones. ****