There’s a line in the film “Zodiac” where the killer states that “Maybe a movie will be made about me. I wonder who would play me.”

In 2007 Director David Fincher answered this question when he released his film based on the book by the same name, written by Robert Graysmith, who was a former cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle.

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards and many more famous faces throughout the film.

Viewers witness a couple of nasty murders, but mostly the story focuses on the investigation that began in 1969. The key players in the movie are Robert Graysmith, played by Gyllenhaal, two detectives, Inspector David Toschi played by Mark Ruffalo, and Inspector William Armstrong played by Anthony Edwards, and finally S.F. Chronicle reporter Paul Avery played by Robert Downey Jr.

The story takes you from the late 60’s all the way to the early 90’s, which results in a lengthy 160 minute film. Was the length worth it? I felt so.

I think David Fincher is one the most underrated filmmakers out there. Fincher made his start shooting music videos for the likes of Madonna, Sting, and Paula Abdul. His first feature came in 1992 when he directed “Alien 3” which was considered a flop, but in 1995 he made it hard for me to shake the images displayed in the film “Se7en” starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. He went on to do several more films like “Fight Club” and his previous effort “Panic Room” in 2002. The great thing about Fincher is that no two of his films resembles the other. Yes, there are some style fingerprints, but the concept ideas are very different from each other. I saw a lot of growth out of Fincher with “Zodiac”.

There can be a curse when you watch too many movies. My curse is being able to predict where a film is going. The beauty of “Zodiac” and other films based on fact, is that since it’s not technically a narrative film, you can’t really know where the story is going to take you. So with that idea coupled with my limited knowledge on the Zodiac killer, these things actually helped me love this film.

I appreciated the little touches in “Zodiac.” The use of shot composition, the use of color, the way the film looked worn and tired as if it were actually shot during the 70’s. There are even some carefully placed CG effects that if you don’t watch carefully, you don’t even realize its an effect.

There was also a human aspect that I haven’t seen since some early Spielberg films. Moments where families just existed as they do. Its like the director said, “Toss the script. Just be a family.” Look for these moments because they are priceless.

Again, I don’t want to ruin the film if you are like me and you’re going to see this without being a Zodiac killer expert. I’m not sure if someone knowledgeable of the source material could appreciate the film like I did, but regardless, I see this as a well executed film that works on all levels.

“Zodiac” is rated R.