Zodiac- Review

I love love love movies based on true stories, especially true crime ones. I knew this movie was in existence a little while ago but I never fully got around to it until now. I can't even emphasise just how much I loved it though. What a beautiful, eery masterpiece. This film was directed by David Fincher and features the talents of Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr and Mark Ruffalo.

This film follows the true story of the notorious Zodiac Killer active during the late 1960s and 70s in the San Francisco Bay area and the wild goose chase that both the police, news crew and general public are sent on to be one step closer to solving this chilling mystery.

The Performances: Obviously I got excited when I found out that Jake Gyllenhaal was cast in this movie. He's a terrific actor and enjoy his movies a lot, particularly because I like the way he adapts and characterises each of his roles. This role, of Robert Graysmith, was purely exceptional though and I definitely found his character to be relatable in the sense of how he portrayed determination, excitement and just his general way of thinking. I really couldn't have picked a better person for the role of this former-underdog.

Robert Downey Jr seems to carry the careless, free-spirited and smart-assed attitude wherever he goes and I love it. It never gets boring and just the pure sight of him makes you laugh. There are many similarities from this role of Paul Avery, that are present in his other films, particularly Iron Man that all come from his characterisation. Definitely another critical position in this film.

Mark Ruffalo as SFPD Inspector David Toschi was also another amazing portrayal. I like Mark, I think he's a really calm and down to Earth person and some of that was visible in his role here. I really enjoyed watching him as an inspector, rather than an average cop and found it even better when I researched this film a little more. Apparently he wasn't interested in this role but I'm so glad that he decided to take it up.

I honestly don't have any cons for this movie. The running time didn't impact my attention-span throughout this movie, as I was hooked the entire time and the characterisation was just so flawless that I felt this feeling come over me of pure joy. I honestly love that feeling so much.

I think I've said it before but incase I haven't, I love movies that have been researched. Obviously for a true story you do need some information about the topic you're presenting in media, but I feel like Fincher, James Vanderbilt (the screenwriter), Mark Ruffalo and Bradley Fischer went above and beyond with their research. And the fact that they spent time with witnesses, family members of witnesses and the general public that were present during that time is amazing. I don't have the words to describe just how well this was all executed.

Fincher, in many ways, is one of my favourite directors (alongside Tarantino and Scorsese) and seems to always deliver to my heart. This movie is going up on my Top 100 favourite movies of all time, a list that I am currently working on.

Score: 10/10.