Recounting the tale of an elusive serial killer, an obsessed cartoonist, and an intelligent police investigator, David Fincher’s exceptional crime thriller, “Zodiac (2007),” became one of the best movies of the century. Fincher outdid himself as he picked up the script centered around the ominous killings of locals in the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Despite the meticulously executed investigations, the identity of the killer, to this date, remains unknown.
Fincher, with his knack for crafting unconventional stories that dive into the complexities of the human mind, created a bone-chilling plot that exposes the wild side of the human mind. Consistent with his preferred selection of themes, this flick once again took a unique take on obsession, much like his past works. With movies about obsessive murderers, such as Se7en and Gone Girl, the director manifests a pattern in his creative techniques. His films primarily consist of protagonists who are fixated on a motive that drives them forward to the unthinkable depths of untamed human behavior. Most of his work resonates with a recursive pattern in terms of storytelling. Though dynamic and appreciable, the characters in his movies are merely a means to dictate and carry the plot, which has a higher purpose when it comes to exposing the vision of societal darkness.
“Zodiac” presents the tale of the investigations that occurred to catch the dark-minded, gruesome killer who made homicide look like a crooked game that screamed ‘Catch me if you can.’ The film revolves around Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a cartoonist working at the “Chronicle,” who gets fascinated by the unresolved murder mystery and is determined to expose the serial killer’s true identity. Along with him, Fincher put two more significant actors in the frame: Robert Downey Jr. as Paul Avery, who works as a crime reporter, and Mark Ruffalo as Dave Toschi, a police inspector assigned to the ‘Zodiac’ case.
In addition to that, “Zodiac” is regarded highly in terms of its exalted cinematic achievements. The stunning transition from the late ’60s to the early ’70s is immaculately smooth with legit references. The locations and set production were all a product of descriptions collected from natives and individuals closely associated with the region and helped shape the tangible face of Fincher’s imagination. Rather than focusing heavily on the serial killer’s crimes, the movie offers a detailed look into the decades-long investigations that took place. Lengthy scenes with extended dialogues were captured well in the broad frames of the film, stretching its perception and offering a peek into the eventful investigations regarding the ‘Zodiac’ case. Dark, vibrant tones add more to the beauty of the film, highlighting its adherence to the uncanny plot and, most importantly, the mind of Robert Graysmith.
Zodiac (2007) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“The Most Dangerous Animal Of Them All”
The film begins with a couple driving to the lover’s lane on the night of the 4th of July. The two are talking when they see a car approaching them, stopping behind them, and then leaving. Seconds later, it reappears, and this time, a man comes out and shoots the couple, leaving shock waves in the audience. However, the young guy named Mike survives the shootout. At the office of “The San Francisco Chronicle,” a month later, unsettling chaos emerges with the arrival of anonymous letters, encrypted by a killer who calls himself the ‘Zodiac.’
He claims to have his identity hidden in the ciphers and asks them to publish it, warning that he’d kill a dozen more people if they don’t comply. At the Chronicle’s office, Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist, takes a keen interest in the Zodiac case and vaguely mentions that the killer’s identity won’t be found in this cipher. Being a subordinate, he is ignored by the editorial staff and Paul Avery, the paper’s crime reporter. Days later, after the codes are published in the newspapers, a couple cracks the code and sends the Chronicle the decoded letter.
After reading the letter, Avery gets back to Graysmith, intrigued by his guess about Zodiac’s unrevealed identity. Graysmith reads the letter and begins to think about the clues mentioned in his letter. After thinking hard, Graysmith reveals that Zodiac references the film “The Most Dangerous Game.” This film features a character named Mark Zaroff who hunts people for sport, inferring that the mentioned phrase “The most dangerous animal of all” is man himself.
The Prime Suspect: Arthur Leigh Allen
After the initial decoding, the Zodiac remains silent for two weeks until another murder occurs. Zodiac sends pieces of bloodstained cloth belonging to the victim Paul Stine, a taxi driver shot in the Presidio Heights districts, to the Chronicle. Later on, Inspectors Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are assigned to lead the Zodiac Case and begin investigating the crime scene. The anonymous letters from Zodiac never stop arriving.
Meanwhile, Dave Toschi gets a call about someone claiming to be Zodiac who wants to call on the Jim Dunbar show and talk to lawyer Melvin Belli for counsel. As the killer gets on the line, he takes deep breaths and introduces himself as the Zodiac. The police try to trace his call while he opens up about his headaches and that he doesn’t want to go to the gas chamber. Belli tries to engage and make him agree to meet him later, but nothing comes out of that interaction.
In 1971, Toschi, Armstrong, and Mulanax visit a suspect in the Vallejo case named Arthur Leigh Allen. Throughout the interrogation, Allen remains calm and keeps on giving logical explanations for his links with the case. Toschi notices he is wearing a watch with “Zodiac” written on its dial. Allen claims it was a present from his mother. Toschi, for some reason, is not convinced and sends Zodiac’s letters to the handwriting expert. Shockingly, his writing doesn’t match Allen’s even though he is ambidextrous, and Toschi runs out of evidence that goes against Allen.
Graysmith’s Unbound Obsession
Paul Avery, the crime reporter, receives death threats from Zodiac. He slowly falls into drug addiction after arguing with the police inspectors about the Zodiac. His condition worsens, taking a toll on his sanity and causing him to move to Sacramento Bay by 1978. On the other hand, Robert Graysmith, the cartoonist, cannot get the Zodiac out of his head. He does not settle for the slow progress in the investigation and begins his search. He approaches Toschi, who is already drifting apart from the case and convinces him of new leads concerning the case. Graysmith impresses Toschi by revealing the missing library record of the cipher-related books.
Toschi tells him that he cannot help him directly as he doesn’t have the authority, so he directs him to other police stations where the Zodiac investigations are taking place. While investigating, Graysmith finds new leads, one about the killer’s connection to Darlene and anonymous phone calls that were made to the victim before she was murdered. To learn more about the phone calls, Graysmith visits Belli and discovers that the Zodiac called his house on December 18th, saying it was his birthday, so he must kill. Since no one died around that date, Graysmith believes it is a dead end and leaves this detail.
His unhealthy obsession with the zodiac continues, resulting in him falling apart from his wife and family. He also receives anonymous phone calls where the person on the other end of the line just breathes heavily. One night, he gets an anonymous tip about the Zodiac. The man on the phone tells him Zodiac’s name is ‘Rick Marshall.’ Graysmith follows the tip and ends up visiting Linda, a suspect who may identify Rick Marshall. She discloses that the strange guy at the party who scared Darlene was known as Leigh, not Rick.
Zodiac (2007) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Arthur Leigh Allen the Zodiac Killer?
Linda’s information convinces Graysmith that Allen must be the Zodiac, but none of the police investigators cooperate with him. He realizes that his hands are tied and that he cannot proceed with this case. His wife Melanie (Chloe Sevigny) stops by his house to drop off divorce papers, and Graysmith is left contemplating that his obsession has cost him his family. As he goes through the files, he discovers Arthur Leigh Allen’s driving license, where his date of birth is mentioned, which is December 18, a date Zodiac confessed was his birthday. He rushes to Toschi’s house in the heavy rain and screams frantically, grabbing his attention.
The two head to a diner, where Graysmith tells him about all possible connections between Arthur Leigh Allen and the murder cases. He explains Allen’s life during the years when the criminal activities were actively going on. Allen molested a child, and the manhunt started eight months after that incident. After the police interviewed him, he left the country for three years, and the letters stopped. Allen began sending letters again when the police decisively moved away from him. And as he got arrested for four more years, the letters stopped coming and were only received four years later when he got out of jail in 1977.
Five years later, in 1983, Graysmith visits a hardware store in Vallejo, where Allen is working as a salesman. He stands opposite Allen, facing him directly. Allen politely asks if he can help him with anything, and Graysmith says, “No.” The two stare at each other, silently weighing one another, and the audience can sense the tension between them.
Seven and a half years pass (1991), and the scene displays a bookshelf on the Ontario International Airport where Robert Graysmith’s book “Zodiac” is sitting as a best-seller. In a room, Mike Mageau is being interviewed by the police. As a survivor of the unresolved murder case, he is shown photographs of several criminals and is asked to identify the one he thinks is the Zodiac. He points at Arthur Leigh Allen’s picture. He also states that on a scale of 10, he is positive to an eight and that he is the one who attacked him on the 4th of July.
Before the ending credits roll, the audience is shown a black screen where text appears. It is written that before the police could charge Allen with the Zodiac’s crimes, he died of a heart attack. Moreover, a DNA sample run in 2002 failed to match Allen’s. The case was officially shut down in 2004, but at the time of the film’s release, it remained open in Napa Country, Solano County, and Vallejo. Robert Graysmith also revealed that he had never received anonymous phone calls since Allen’s death.
How Can Allen Leigh Arthur Be the Zodiac Killer?
There is enough evidence against Arthur Leigh Allen that screams that he is the culprit in the Zodiac case. The first evidence against him is his Zodiac watch, which points to his link to the name. The military boots and gloves that are found on the crime scenes also match his size, not to forget the timeline of murders and the anonymous letters coinciding with Allen’s whereabouts. Besides that, his love for the book “The Most Dangerous Game” and misspelled ‘Christmas’ spellings make him the prime suspect in the case. He also lived close to Darlene, about 50 yards away. Darlene’s friends confess that the strange guy they know is called “Lee.”
Why Arthur Leigh Allen Wasn’t Arrested?
Arthur Leigh Allen was never arrested for his crimes because of the lack of physical evidence. Graysmith collected enough circumstantial evidence but couldn’t prove it in court. The fingerprints and handwriting did not match Arthur’s, leaving him both innocent and untouchable.
Zodiac (2007) Major Themes Analysed
Obsession and Passion
Passionate characters like Robert Graysmith are some of the most obsessive characters who do not abandon the case of the elusive killer, even when they fear it’ll be a dead-end. Despite being a cartoonist and an unofficial investigator, Graysmith’s dedication to the case is due to pure passion. Furthermore, he has to give up his family for his obsession, yet he doesn’t think twice before investing the most important years of his life in getting information about the killer. Paul Avery is another character who is consumed by the Zodiac case. His paranoia and addiction get the best of him, and it all starts with the Zodiac’s warning.
Role of Media
Media plays an integral role throughout the film, investigating and determining its turn to chase the culprit. The Zodiac Killer sends anonymous messages to the newspaper The Chronicle and reveals his plans and proceedings through them. It served as the only means to spread public awareness about a serial killer on the loose and allowed the case to be studied further.
Law and Justice
The criminal investigations and Graysmith’s obsession with the case are all for bringing justice. Inspectors, journalists, and people from all other sectors have one goal in common: finding answers in this case so that justice can be served. Additionally, the boundaries of law enforcement play a vital role in determining the fate of Arthur Leigh Allen. Lack of evidence, and America’s law of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ works in the killer’s favor. Despite having enough circumstantial evidence, there isn’t much that could be done to arrest the killer.
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