Zodiac (2007) By far the most masterful and impressive work of director David Fincher's long career, this epic documentation of the Zodiac killings throughout the 60's and 70's, which marked the end of the flower power era with a deafening thunder, is equally riveting and goose bump-inducing. Seen through the eyes of San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), the majority of the film functions as a police procedural as local authorities tirelessly comb the streets of San Francisco for any hint of the elusive killer, while the last third acts as a portrait of Graysmith's own intense fixation with the Zodiac. The sharp, perfectly paced script is aided by one of the most fantastic soundtracks in recent memory. The film's true brilliance is that rather than narrowly focusing on the details of the Zodiac's crimes, it acts as a character study, painting a dark portrait of obsession and paranoia among those who spent years of their lives attempting to crack the case of the Zodiac, many finding themselves destroyed by it. Final grade: A
Despite numerous filmmakers having attempted to successfully tell the doomed tale of Jesse James and his infamous gang, never before has it been executed such grace and skill. Andrew Dominik's sophomore effort recalls the work of such innovators as Terrence Malick, with it's breathtaking cinematography and fragile pace, but still manages to carve it's own creative path. Brad Pitt gives one of the best performances of his career as James, the infamously charismatic and yet viciously erratic outlaw. Likewise, Casey Affleck is perfect as Robert Ford, James' admirer and eventual assassin, pulling off a nearly impossible high-wire act as he delicately negotiates the boundary between sympathetic bystander and spiteful killer. The intelligence of the film comes from it's unwillingness to place judgment on either character, leaving it to the viewer to decide just who’s shoulders the title of protagonist ultimately falls upon. Final grade: A-
Tony Gilroy's directorial debut is as perfectly understated as it is powerful, emulating what every director of a John Grisham adaptation wishes they were capable of. In this meticulously crafted legal thriller, George Clooney carefully and quietly constructs the portrait of a man worn down by countless years as the "fixer" at a prestigious New York law firm. The supporting cast is excellent, but in the end it's Tom Wilkinson who truly steals the show, giving a phenomenal performance as the lead defense attorney for a corrupt farming company who may be turning the tables on his own clients. Final grade: A-
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