Like any based-on-true-events movies, this one left me wondering what parts were made up and what was factual. Mostly, though, I thought, couldn't they have made up a little more to bring it together? The real story has no firm resolution, so I guess they didn't want to stray too far into fiction.
The first half of the movie really grabbed me. The pieces falling into place, the awkward editorial cartoonist learning the ropes from the seasoned crime-beat reporter, the unpredictably insane killer: it all worked together in a compelling way. As the movie dragged on--really as time dragged on in the real case--it became less and less interesting. The cartoonist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, becomes obsessive about finding the killer, while his life is falling apart. I wonder if that's the case in the life of the real guy.
This is certainly a well-made and well-acted movie, with lots of interesting camera work, but in the long run, I am not all that excited about it. Bottom line, two stars.
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