Last week, one week old release held me on the edge of my seat and a new movie blew me out of it. "Zodiac" and "300" are amazing films that can't be missed.
"Zodiac" is based on the real life story of Robert Graysmith, author of the best selling book by the same name. The film opens on the Zodiac killer of San Francisco and the surrounding area in his second act, soon followed by the beginnings of the notorious letters. The plot treks along his other killings, letters and phone calls to authorities and the media, to the eventual arrest of the prime suspect and the release of Robert Graysmith's book in a time line of 22 years.
This movie is great. Not only is it a suspense movie, but it is a detective story. Everything that Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) learns and the detectives know is presented so that the audience can draw its own conclusions as to who it might be. In the end, everyone agrees on their favorite suspect. The film was very well written by James Vanderbilt; it keeps movie goers on the edge of their seats. The acting by Gyllenhaal; Mark Ruffalo, who plays Inspector Toschi; and Robert Downey Jr., who plays reporter Paul Avery, was good- enough to carry on the movie, but it was the story, the writing and subject that fueled this film. Overall, the cast and crew work together to brought a great story to life. There wasn't one scene that you could point to and call special, but the plot weaves through that frightening time when Northern Californians were afraid of not only strangers but neighbors. Anyone could be the killer. Rated R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images. I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
