David Fincher's (director of Fight Club, Se7en) newest release, Zodiac, is a triumph. The story of the self-proclaimed "Zodiac Killer" and the search by several law enforcement agencies and newspapermen to find him perfectly unfolds over 2 hours and 40 minutes and despite the length of the film, as a viewer I wanted the search to continue a while longer.
One of the most appealing aspects of Zodiac is the chronological nature of the story. Unlike many popular films of late, there was no jumping from past to present or skewing of the time line. The chronology was straightforward and the only mystery in the film was the identity of the Zodiac Killer. The audience doesn't have to work on another mystery of their own such as "Wait, when is this taking place?" or "Who is that guy again?" It is clear in the way the actors age and in the timestamps placed at the beginning of each new time period who's who and when. The aging of the actors was quite realistic and deserves second mention.
Casting of this film was excellent. Robert Downey Jr. was quirky of course but not over the top as Paul Avery, a cocky crime reporter. Jake Gyllenhaal has the innocent, good guy down and brought that to cartoonist Robert Graysmith. The special thing about Gyllenhaal is that he adds an intensity to the character without corrupting him otherwise. Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards play San Francisco investigators and have a fun but not silly chemistry as partners. Ruffalo provided another solid performance to add to his robust resume and Edwards was a welcome surprise having made few appearances on screen since leaving ER 5 yesrs ago. The rest of the supporting cast was very well cast and includes well-knowns Chloë Sevigny, Donal Logue, Dermott Mulroney and Brian Cox. Deserving special mention are Elias Koteas who was unquestionable as an investigator and a delight to watch.
Conclusion: The story and film are compelling and exciting. See it.
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