Originally written August 3, 2013

Zodiac is based on true events about a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco back in the late 60s/early 70s. It’s not often we get movies based on these kinds of cases though, because the case of the Zodiac killer was never solved. And so Zodiac gives us a different kind of crime mystery, and instead pays a lot of attention to the process involved in trying to catch a serial killer.

Here’s how the story goes. A serial killer who calls himself Zodiac murders a couple on Christmas 1968, and then another couple on 4th of July 1969. Following these killings, Zodiac writes to a newspaper about himself and his crimes, leaving the cops little clues. And yet he can’t be caught, and his killings continue. A lot of the movie revolves around a cartoonist for the newspaper, Robert Graysmith, who becomes obsessed with tracking the killer down.

Zodiac was simply incredible. I’m not surprised though, as this was directed by David Fincher, who’s made some really fantastic movies, such as Fight Club, The Social Network, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He’s an extremely talented director, and handles this material really well, somehow making a heavily dialogue-driven mystery that lasts over two and a half hours never feel boring. From beginning to end, I was intrigued. The movie was further helped by a great cast, whose three main players were Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. I highly recommend Zodiac to anyone looking for a great crime mystery.

4.5/5