Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhal star in "Zodiac." (Courtesy photo)

'Zodiac' (****)

Somber film follows Graysmith's search for killer

David Fincher is on a very short list of directors who, in my estimation, can do no wrong. Yet it's not as though I follow him in some kind of blind, fan-boy allegiance; he's simply a natural-born filmmaker who, thus far in his admittedly short career, hasn't made a single misstep.

From the revolutionary serial killer thriller "Se7en" to the mind-game theatrics of "The Game," from the cultural bombshell of "Fight Club" to the technically flawless genre piece "Panic Room," Fincher exudes a confidence in his style that leaves little doubt that he is in complete control of his craft. (As for "Alien 3," I don't get all the hatred. Though certainly not the best example of Fincher's talent, it was at the very least an atmospheric, entertaining example of sci-fi noir — so back off, man.)

Though it doesn't quite approach the level of some of the filmmaker's earlier works (namely "Se7en" and "Fight Club"), Fincher's latest film, "Zodiac," may be his most artistically vital work yet. The former music video director has long endured criticism that his films are empty vessels, mere delivery systems for his signature brand of experimental camera work. But with this film, Fincher eases off the visual spectacle to deliver a deliberately paced, somber police procedural that is guaranteed to keep attentive viewers riveted for the whole of its nearly three-hour running time — despite its distinct lack of hyper-kinetic eye candy. With "Zodiac," Fincher has finally proven that he's not simply a one-trick pony.

The film charts the police investigation and media frenzy surrounding a string of serial killings that took place in California in the late 1960s and early '70s. Calling himself Zodiac, the perpetrator of these ghastly, seemingly random crimes was perhaps the nation's first media-conscious mass murderer.

Based on the books by amateur sleuth Robert Graysmith, the film exhaustingly explores every facet of this true-crime story: the murders themselves, depicted with a detached objectivity that makes all the more disturbing; Zodiac's correspondence with the media, which ensured him the publicity he so craved; and the authorities' efforts to unmask this monster, which were dogged at every turn by procedural blunders and the special kind of red-tape bureaucracy police departments are noted for.

Yet by focusing heavily on San Francisco Chronicle political cartoonist Graysmith (portrayed in the film by Jake Gyllenhaal), "Zodiac" becomes much more than merely a three-hour episode of "Law and Order." In following Graysmith's increasingly desperate, all-consuming amateur search for the killer's identity, the film emerges as, above all, a compelling examination of obsession.

Graysmith eventually did uncover a likely suspect (who, alas, was never charged with the killings), but the film suggests that his fanatical, decades-long investigation had more to do with a need to understand and rationalize the unthinkable — to find the face of evil and "look him in the eye" — rather than a simplistic desire to catch a lone killer. Whatever Graysmith's motivations were, his aim was admirable, and his work has inspired what is sure to remain one of the year's very best films.

"Zodiac" is rated R for graphic violence and profanity.

Jason Wallis is a News-Sentinel copy editor. He can be reached at jwallis@runbox.com.