Zodiac: A Crime Thriller

Article By Srishty And Dylan 

The infamous unsolved Zodiac murders that took place in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s are the subject of the 2007 American thriller Zodiac which was directed by David Fincher and is based on a true story. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr. play major parts in the movie.

Zodiac Is Different From Other Movies Out There:

In comparison to other movies, Zodiac stands out for its realistic and in-depth portrayal of the investigation process and the toll it has on everyone involved. The film is not only a riveting drama, but it is also an in-depth character study that looks at the lives of those affected by the case. It highlights the preoccupation and dedication of those who worked on the case, as well as the costs incurred by them personally.

Zodiac’s thorough research and historical truth are two additional distinctive features. The movie presents a realistic and vivid depiction of the time period and the events surrounding the case because it is built on in-depth research and first-hand accounts.

Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Robert Graysmith, an artist for the San Francisco Chronicle who becomes fixated on the Zodiac case and spends years looking into it. Both the protagonist and presenter of the movie are him. He remains fixated on the case which took a toll on his personal life, he later publishes the book Zodiac.

Did You Know This About Zodiac?

• The film caused the real-life case to reopen after it had closed in 2004. (The reopened case brought new evidence to the table, however, there were no new leads that were produced.)
• When Detective Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), who has just received the forensic findings from the investigation of Allen’s property, storms out of the office. An inconspicuous couple walks by as Toschi and the police captain are speaking. Bryan C. Hartnell, one of the Zodiac Killer’s surviving victims, and his wife actually carry out the walk-by. Bryan is the only real-life counterpart featured on screen, despite several of them being interviewed for the movie.
• There was little likelihood that the 2007 movie would reveal who the Zodiac Killer really was. In fact, the way the movie plays up the mystery makes it impossible to tie the enigma to a specific individual from the movie.
• Naturally, this is a result of Fincher’s efforts, who frequently use shadows to obscure the identity of characters in all of his movies. The killer’s face is never shown in any of the pictures, but even then, the movie has another trick up its sleeve by hiring three actors to portray the killer as witness descriptions were slightly different from one another which added an extra layer of mystery to the case.

David Toschi, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, is a San Francisco Police Department detective working on the Zodiac investigation. Over time, he becomes more and more involved in the research and collaborates closely with Robert.

Robert Downey Jr.’s character, Paul Avery, is a crime writer for the San Francisco Chronicle who specializes in the Zodiac case. He is profoundly affected by the situation and begins to drink excessively and ultimately decides to retire.

Zodiac also sticks out for its ambiguity and lack of resolution. The movie instead examines the effect the case had on those involved and how it impacted their lives rather than offering a conclusive explanation for who the Zodiac killer is. This departure from a conventional Hollywood conclusion heightens the drama and realism of the movie, adding to its gripping and memorable quality.

Also Read: Why Mona Lisa Smile Is Still A Relevant Movie?

According to our Scopo-Meter, we check the following in this movie:

FilmScopes thank the creators of this film for opening up the gates of fact-based movies.

We learned that this task of fact collection was tedious and firsthand, FilmScopes thanks movie creators who endorse fact-based work which in turn inspires young filmmakers to use the weapon of the camera wisely.