Two, Ellroy is noted for his rat-a-tat dialogue which doesn\’t necessarily translate well to the screen, often it comes across as sounding like mock-dialogue from a Warners gangster spoof (and note, I love the guy\’s books, but what works on page, may not on screen). I\’ve always tried to figure out the admiration these guys have for each other (Fincher and Ellroy and vice versa) because their style\’s are really distinct from one another.

That said, the performances in "Zodiac" from all three leads are spot on for the film (who knows if Avery was that manic in real life, but it certainly is Robert Downey Jr\’s character based on a real person, and not a real person per se). It\’s well known that on "Zodiac" Fincher went a little overboard with multiple takes, a al Kubrick, but it shows in what amounts to very naturalistic performances from Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo (and Downey too, though again, when you hire RDJ, you\’re getting RDJ\’s own self in that character role… he\’s not one of those guys that loses himself in the role and disappears, y\’know).

"Zodiac" is considered a masterpiece (an appraisal that grows with every year) because it\’s more than just a crime procedural, more than just an actor\’s showcase, and more than a standard serial killer movie… it\’s really an impressive work about obsession and the need to understand something that can\’t be understood regardless of the cost. It\’s one of the most remarkable movies of the 21st century, and will only gain in stature over time.