I have no doubt this is one of the most accurate police procedurals ever made. I also have no qualms with people saying this was well directed by Fincher, he is absolutely one of the finest directors working today. He just forgot to direct the story, too.

It has a great set up of the serial killer, and I liked that it began with the perspective of the newspaper and the police, who are equally clueless of the killer's identity. It reminded me favorably of the Netflix series "Mindhunter", by focusing on the investigative aspects.

But then, unlike "Mindhunter", it just keeps going without much development in the plot. And the lack of a conclusive ending is obviously deliberate, reflective of real police cases. But it's also empty, and after nearly three hours, finishing with a non conclusion doesn't sit well, or get you thinking.

I guess in the end it was about how a family can be torn apart by both a psychotic killer and a person's obsession in equally terrible ways, rather than finding the killer. But after "Alien 3" and "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" this might be Fincher's third worst movie, and for me that makes it a big let down. Three stars.