directed by David Fincher
A serial killer terrorizes people in California in the 1970s.
Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal), a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, becomes obsessed with the case and eventually goes on to write a couple books about it. He puts himself and his family in danger as he investigates the killer.
David Toschi (Ruffalo) and William Armstrong (Edwards) are the police detectives tasked with finding the killer who goes by the name Zodiac. They come close but ultimately are taken off the case after it goes cold.
Paul Avery (Downey) is a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle who for a time is obsessed with the case. He ultimately moves on and steps out of the picture much earlier than the other central characters.
This is not a feel good movie. It is about an obsession with an unsolved case. It is beautifully shot and a pleasure to look at. There are some disturbing scenes including the murders which happen on screen. Worth watching but only if you think you can stomach the violence. The movie is a little over 2.5 hours. I watched it over the course of four nights. I'm not sure what if anything I missed by breaking it up the way I did.
The case has officially never been solved. Graysmith and others believe that they know who Zodiac was. The suspect is in the movie and plays an important part in the story but for various reasons they do not arrest him.
The movie is based on the books that Graysmith wrote about the case but he did not write the screenplay.
I knew very little about the case going in. I listened to a couple episodes of a podcast about the movie after watching it. I found them to be helpful and broadened my knowledge of the case beyond what the movie provided.
Natter Cast 250 - Interview with Melanie Graysmith
Natter Cast 251 - Toschi Station Part 2 - Zodiac
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