Sunday 28 February 2010

(500) Films of Empire - Day 166

376 - Zodiac - 5 stars
Rewatching this film just now I do believe that I was justified in calling it the best film of 2007.
The film shows that it's not only the victims that lose their lives to a serial killer as several cops and journalists sacrifice their personal or professional lives in the pursuit of the Zodiac killer, one of the greatest unsolved murder cases in the USA.
Fincher brings an intense level of detail and mood to the film and draws great understated performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo while RDJ does his usual schtick which is always entertaining. Memorable creepy turns from John Carrol Lynch as the chief suspect and Charles Fleischer (voice of Roger Rabbit) who takes Gyllenhaal down to his basement.

156 - Saving Private Ryan - 3 stars
After an incredibly powerful and visceral opening 20 minutes where cinematographer Janusz Kaminski literally takes you onto Normandy beach and panic, disorientation and terror that soldiers must have felt coming off the boats into that hail of gunfire, the movie becomes a familiar 'men on a mission' scenario where there mission is a man, Private Ryan.
At times a tad sentimental look at war but it is full of strong performances from a cast that included many actors who are now major stars (Damon, Giamatti, Diesel, Ribisi, and Nathan Fillion aka Mal Renoylds as the 'fake' Ryan).
A moving and unexpected ending to the film enchanced by a tricksy narrative sleight of hand by Speilberg.

Days remaining - 199 Films remaining - 257

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