ZODIAC

(8/10)

I'm glad I didn't go into this movie knowing much about the real life facts but I do not even have to question the facts because this movie is so well done and realistic that I can tell that most of this is close to 100% accurate. In a time where almost all movies have "based on a true story" attached to the trailer- its nice to see a film that actually MEANS it. The movie contains one of the best all male ensembles i've ever seen (save for the departed........of course) but anyway, no single star outshines the other- the lead roles respectably are Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal - but Dermot Mulroney has some time in the there and the scene-stealer on a number of occasions for me was the one and only Dr. Green!! Okay okay...Anthony Edwards. So the story follows Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist, who throughout the first half of the movie is shown as so inferior to everyone else, rightfully so, but for some reason he is the only one who has the energy and drive to never give up on tracking down the killer, even if it means sacrificing his already screwed up family life and his own growth from a boy to a man. Some graphic and brutal killing scenes begin the film but after that this movie becomes much less a thriller and more of a character study into the minds of these detectives/cops/suspects/witnesses whose lives become warped. Obsession is a key theme in this movie, without spoiling much, anyone who knows how this story really did unfold will get the vibe that this movie could keep going and going, clue upon clue. Director David Fincher keeps us hooked and never bored but people expecting tons of action that his other movies have provided will be sorely dissapointed so I warn you- go into this movie knowing that its dialogue-driven and I think you'll enjoy it much more because its good....its just not THAT good. Anyone have any animal crackers?