Zodiac

David Fincher is not my favorite director. Remember Seven? Probably the slowest serial killer movie ever. You could nap during all the aching cop "what's it all mean?" stuff even with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Well, he's done it again. Zodiac is slow - slow to get started, slow to get to the point, slow to reveal why Jake Gyllenhaal is even there. But look on the bright side. It's also long.

Now you think you know that this film is about the Zodiac killer who terrorized the Bay Area in the late 60's'/early 70's, less with his killings as he wasn't all that prolific, than with his taunting encoded letters to the press. You would be wrong. It's really about Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal,) his obsession with the killer and the subsequent bestsellers he wrote about his theories. This story is Graysmith's interpretation of the events, so don't start taking notes.

Now I adore Jake Gyllenhaal, but he's wasted here. As are Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey, Jr. (who's starting to do the Jack Nicholson thing and only portray himself - as in eternally stoned and cynical.) I'll throw them a bone to say that the Zodiac saga leaves much to be desired in and of itself - what makes it interesting is what's missing - an ending. The film gives us one, if you want one bad enough you'll find it. Even if it's false. (The official website slowed my computer to a crawl, but if you want to, try it here.)