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Critic Reviews
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Spellbinding. ... Relying on a stylized version of the classic true-crime TV format, they keep the viewer squarely focused on the principal subject of this film, Gary Stewart, and his story, which is that his dad was very likely the infamous serial murderer known as the Zodiac Killer. ... To not feel for him is to miss the point of this show, which is really an investigation into the stories that each one of us are capable of telling ourselves and reinforcing in our minds every day, whether they are true or not.
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The most notable directorial achievement in this series is its structure, establishing both doubt and certainty as it weaves together the basic beats of the Zodiac Killer mystery with Stewart’s stubborn insistence that his birth father was the infamous (and still unidentified) serial killer who terrorized the Bay Area in the late '60s and early '70s. ... Although Davidson is unafraid to wade into the messy emotions surrounding such a sensational story, he never paints his subjects as anything other than fallible people with complicated motivations.
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On the whole, the documentary combines a number of niche interests: docuseries, true crime, and the Zodiac killer specifically. Its four-episode counts makes it an easy investment, one whose ultimate turn is bizarre but feels like a perfect fit for this strange case’s natural twists.
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“The Most Dangerous Animal of All” starts off in a frustrating manner, especially for those of us who know a great deal about this case, but eventually becomes a portrait of obsession and the true horror of that which we can never really know.
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After humoring Stewart’s account, as well as synopsizing the Zodiac’s reign of terror, The Most Dangerous Animal of All surprisingly swerves in its final installment, pointing its inquisitive gaze squarely at Stewart himself. ... The sight of the once-confident and composed Stewart trying to defend his mistakes, and charade, is enlivening. Moreover, it turns the entire affair into a critique of both itself and, by extension, the true-crime genre, where sensational claims and pretzel-logic explanations are routinely, and easily, presented as trustworthy.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 3
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Mixed: 0 out of 3
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Negative: 2 out of 3
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May 3, 2020