'Masterpiece' thriller on Netflix 'one of the best films of the 21st century'

Fans of a thriller will be pleased to learn that this highly-rated epic, is streaming on Netflix and just in time for spooky season. It has been hailed by critics and fans have described it as a "masterpiece"of a movie

Zodiac is a mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher and written by James Vanderbilt. It is based on the non-fiction books by Robert Graysmith: Zodiac (1986) and Zodiac Unmasked (2002). Released in 2007, Zodiac stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr., with Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Philip Baker Hall, and Dermot Mulroney in supporting roles.

The film's synopsis reads: "In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls."

In its listing of the "50 Best Movies of the 21st century", the Hollywood Reporter placed Zodiac as the highest up in the thriller category, coming at number four overall.

Upon its release, Zodiac was met with generally positive reviews, being nominated for a few awards, too. However, in the years after it was released it garnered a cult following, with many claiming it to be David Fincher's magnum opus.

Zodiac is often praised for its direction, acting, writing, cinematography, production design, soundtrack, attention to detail, and accuracy to both the real life investigation and the obsession that gripped some of those who were involved with the investigation itself.

The film has received an impressive 90% approval rating from thr critics of Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus states: "A quiet, dialogue-driven thriller that delivers with scene after scene of gut-wrenching anxiety. David Fincher also spends more time illustrating nuances of his characters and recreating the mood of the '70s than he does on gory details of murder."

In a 2016 critics' poll conducted by the BBC, Zodiac was voted the 12th greatest film of the 21st century.

One fan of the movie labelled it a "masterpiece", adding: "Yet another masterpiece from David Fincher, shocker right? An incredibly well put together film from top to bottom. The three headed monster of Ruffalo, Downey and Gyllenhaal fit together perfectly. Fincher's trademark gritty- veneer helps to add a tinge of horror, or "emotional mise en scene" that serves the subject matter impeccably."

On the film, the Hollywood Reporter said: "David Fincher was no stranger to darkness (Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room) when he took on the story of the hunt for a Bay Area serial killer known as Zodiac. But he conquered new territory with this true-crime masterpiece, working with cinematographer Harris Savides to spin subliminal menace into an atmospheric pressure that seeps into every frame.

"With this mesmerizing slow-boil thriller, Fincher didn't so much shatter genre molds as sneak up on them in the thick of night, his maneuvers as deft as they are methodical."

Zodiac is available to stream on Netflix.