Now, I’m making it sound as if the following hour or so was a huge disappointment and that’s not true at all. Fincher makes sure that even though we’re watching a long movie, especially considering the genre, we’re never bored. There’s always a visual flourish or a nice surprise to settle us back into the swing of things. The film’s problem lies with the frustrating source material. When you’re making a movie about a killer who was never caught, it’s a given that the film is gonna sting a little as the story progresses.

The death scenes soon dry up and as the killer goes AWOL, the film settles into TV detective mode. Cue the scenes where our hero’s wife (played by Chloe Sevigny) gets tired by his obsession with the case, or the scenes where everyone BUT our hero continues to give a shit about finding the savage killer. They wouldn’t be so bad if they were wrapped up in a satisfying way but alas, truth prevails and the killer was never caught.

But, as someone who’s always hating on ‘true stories’ that are dripping in fiction, the feelings of inconclusiveness are almost worth it for the feeling of authenticity we get throughout. This helps to make the violence and terror that the Zodiac killer spread all the more shocking. Jake Gyllenhaal also proves to be a nice choice in the lead. He’s engaging and unexpected and makes a refreshing change from the typical protagonist in serial killer thrillers.

Zodiac, as flawed as it may be, is a film I’m dying to see again. A fascinating case, flawed in itself, is lovingly brought to life by a team who value truth over fiction. Fincher’s Hitchcockian flourishes, especially apparent in his gorgeous aerial shots, bring a much needed style to the proceedings, which directed by anyone else could come off as a little dry.

Given the year we’ve had already, Zodiac lives up to that clichéd title I’ve never got to use before. It’s the first must-see movie of the year. See I've said it. And now I feel dirty.

Movie Grade: B+

Synopsis:

Based on the true story of one of the most intriguing unsolved crimes in the nation's history, "Zodiac" is a thriller from David Fincher, director of "Se7en" and "Fight Club".

As a serial killer terrifies the San Francisco Bay Area and taunts police with his ciphers and letters, investigators in four jurisdictions search for the murderer. The case will become an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are built and destroyed by the endless trail of clues.