Solid dramatization

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2020)

A pretty compelling account of the Zodiac killer and ensuing investigation over decades. It's long, almost too long, but it matches just how drawn out the case was, and allows for all sorts of little details, the fleshing out of the people involved, and the eeriness of never really knowing to unfold. The names and places sometimes fly fast and furious, but the story is well told in many ways, starting with what the frustration does to the monomaniacal police and reporters looking into it. Mostly it feels like a mental thriller, but damn, that basement scene is truly scary. The circumstantial case against Arthur Leigh Allen is well laid out, and to me it was pretty surprising that he eluded more aggressive investigation and arrest, e.g. the amount of time between the testimony of Donald Cheney and the first search warrant, but of course, that's with the benefit of hindsight. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Edwards all do well here, and this a very solid dramatization.