When you think of Robert Downey Jr it’s likely you think of the Marvel movies, but what if I told you that wasn’t his best movie.
Yes, I know that Robert… Rob… RDJ, is synonymous with the bombast of superhero movies thanks to his turn as the ironmonger (isn’t that his nemesis?) turned snarky hero, Tony Stark, but believe it or not, RDJ’s more than a little beard and a CGI costume.
Now I know what the cinephiles among you, or the ones who follow social media trends, are saying: ‘Of course we know this, Mr. Dexerto. He won an Oscar for Oppenheimer, and we know what his best movie is’.
Well, two things. First of all, Mr Dexerto was my father; you can call me Tom. Second, Oppenheimer’s a great flick – it might even be Christopher Nolan’s best movie – but it’s not RDJ’s best film.
What is Robert Downey Jr’s best movie?
So what is? Well in my not-so-humble opinion, RDJ is at his finest in David Fincher’s sinister thriller Zodiac. This taut and terrifying tale documents the true story of the Zodiac killer as he terrorizes the citizens of California. In the film, RDJ plays crime reporter Paul Avery who with the help of political cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) comes close to unmasking the serial killer.
Now I love the Zodiac. I think it’s Fincher at his finest; it might lack the bombast of something like Seven or the shocking drama of Social Network (a film that, for the life of me, I will never understand the love for). Yet, it manages to be every bit as tense and entertaining as any other movie.
What makes it so special is that it’s incredibly theatrical in some regards but also powerfully understated. There’s no big courtroom scene or final climactic reveal of a head in the box. Instead, it relies on the power of paranoia and fear. This means scenes as simple as a man realizing he’s in a basement can be every bit as devastating as Saverin losing control of Facebook or the aforementioned head in the box.
But why is this RDJ’s best movie? Well, Zodiac isn’t really a film about a serial killer. Well, it is, but when you slice through the fleshy context and get to the meat and gory subtext, you’ll find a story about the dangers of obsession, and few characters in the film exemplify this danger like Avery.
In his final scenes, we see how Avery’s obsession with the fame and prestige investigating Zodiac gave him has ultimately destroyed him (well, that and the cigarettes). He’s a wreck of a far removed from the urbane and witty reporter we meet in the opening act. It’s a masterclass performance from RDJ, who shows a vulnerable side we so rarely see, even when working with someone like Nolan.
Looking for more hot takes about great actors? Well, we’ve got a list of the best Bruce Willis movies and the best Keanu Reeves movies. if that’s not enough we’ve also got an article breaking down the best movies ever made.
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