So, the wife and I went out with our friend Daitza to see Zodiac last night and the reviews were mixed. I enjoyed the film but felt it lost style as it moved into the second half. Laura felt that the film was at least 15 minutes too long. Daitza felt the same and was freaked out by one of the early scenes where the zodiac kills someone. That scene was actually the best in the movie -- broad daylight and great imagery. nice stuff.

the acting was strong -- robert downey jr is always fun as cocky, deteriorating assholes. Jake Gyllenhall is his usually drowsy self (but I always enjoy it). Chloe what's-her' name is essentially pointless and you can just tell she's trying too hard. There were a bunch of other people -- including the guy who plays one of the suspects -- that were fantastic. one of the other strong scenes was where the cops interview said suspect. great tension, great acting.

There's also bits of really odd-funny moments. Stuff that's typical of Fincher -- weird things you aren't supposed to laugh at.

So, it's not the flashy Fincher we know and love, but it's still interesting. But covering almost 20 years in 2 hours and 40 minutes feels long. (In fact, the Ritz had moved their big clock ahead by the time we got out so at first we thought the movie was 3 hours 40 minutes and, while we were surprised, we had no trouble believing it.)

So, worth seeing, but not exactly what you might expect from the guy who did Panic Room, Fight Club, and Seven.

[edited to include important "not" in last line.]