Zodiac

I read some harsh reviews regarding David Fincher's new film Zodiac before viewing and am pleasantly content to contradict them. Fincher's filmmaking is top notch so it’s no wonder he didn't have any qualms releasing a 2 hour and forty minute research thriller.

Zodiak’s opening image is astutely assigned, that being firecrackers bursting in the sky. They instantly reflect the psyche of a serial killer, the killer vainly creating a spot for themself in humanity's cultural pantheon, a transient constellation in the summer sky (although the fact that Zodiac exists as a film somewhat destabilizes the image's effect, unless we consider its essence to be allegorically reflective of the serial killer's plight universally, always pestiferously seeking the prestige of a doctor, a professional athlete, a gifted tenor [professionals with images platonically pasted in the sky]).

The first conversation between Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards is hard-boiled banter at its best and Fincher's casting top notch. Mark Ruffalo and Jake Gyllenhaal are given an outstanding opportunity to display their talent, Dermot Mulroney steals a number of scenes for the first time since Young Guns, Anthony Edwards is dryly comedic and sternly subversive, and Robert Downey Jr. excels. Excellent stuff.