Zodiac, a drama based on the US-wide manhunt for the serial killer who appointed himself that moniker in the late 1960s and early 1970s starts strongly but loses some if its momentum after the halfway point.

The story follows flawed genius journalist’s Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr) and Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) as they race against Mark Ruffalo’s San Francisco Police Department to find an indiscriminate killer who gets a kick out of taunting both parties and seeking infamy. With an array of suspects, clues and policing techniques on show, the producers have a real challenge on their hands keeping the audience engaged given that the legend of the Zodiac is engrained on mainstream conscience.

At close to 3 hours in length you’d be forgiven to seeing the runtime on the control panel and thinking “nah” however, there are enough moving pieces and suspects to keep your attention throughout and the killer’s psychotic nature has the ability to make you feel tingles as they close in on their prey.

Once again, police incompetence is a prevailing theme and each of the starring cast members deliver decent performances.

Rating: 7/10

Viewed: November 2020