Zodiac
R
2007
*** out of ****

Interestingly enough, until about an hour before I left to go see this movie, I had no idea that it was based on an actual serial killer. And when I say “based” I mean a lot more closely based than, say, ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ or ‘Amityville Horror’. I was never all that into true crime stuff, but the movie was very good. Also, this was the first movie in a very long time that I went to go see alone, and I remembered that even though I think that I hate going to the theater solo, I actually do enjoy it. ^_^ It’s more fun going with other people, but it was still entertaining going by myself. Plus, I live a five minute walk away and my car was in the shop. ^_^ Incentive.

Premise: True crime. In the late sixties and early/mid seventies a serial killer roamed around the San Francisco Bay area. He sends letters and codes to the newspapers, taunting letters, demanding that his letters be published. Police and a determined newspaper cartoonist desperately try to find the killer and bring him to justice.

The movie already had a lot going for it, simply by virture of the actors that were in it. Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, and Mark Ruffalo all exhibited excellent performances in this film. Especially Mark Ruffalo. I don’t usually like him very much, but he played his character very well. Gyllenhaal also warrants special attention for his role, going from interested, no, fascinated with the case to having it become a full blown obsession.

At times the movie felt extremely fast paced and energetic, then it would lull to a sleepy meandering crawl for a while, but even it stayed interesting. It owed as much of it’s ability to enthrall to the simple fact that this is a true story as to the writing, acting, and directing. It’s a novel concept, watching a true story about a serial killer that actually feels real.

And that was one of the movie’s greatest strengths. The fact that it just felt so real. Obviously I don’t know how closely the film was based on the case files, but even if it strayed far into the realm of artistic license it retained that feeling of reality.

My one complaint about this movie is it’s length. No, it wasn’t that I thought it was too long as in it needed to be better edited, it was just that after two and a half hours sitting in a movie theater chair, my butt really starts to hurt!! ^_^