Entry #6: The Zodiac

Recently I watched a film from 2007, starring Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Jake Gyllenhaal. It was an intense and real movie that I would not recommend to those who have weak stomachs. It took place around the uprising of The Zodiac Killer. They read some of his letters he sent to publishers are they are dark. It's called The Zodiac.

The Zodiac Trailer

A week or two ago, my screenwriting class was discussing different ways you can end a screenplay and some examples. One of the ways was to leave your audience confused. Someone gave the example The Zodiac. I have never seen or heard of this movie before, but it intrigued me. I knew it was about The Zodiac Killer, but that was it. To my surprise, I knew most of the actors. It's also about one of the most well known murderers in our time, which I then decided to watch it. (It's on Netflix)

You were transported back to 1968. The set design of all the apartments shown and the publishing companies were all created to look like it would have in the 70's. They all had typewriters, side burns, and those horrible fluorescent lights. The costumes were vintage 70's button ups, the hair was done up and big, and the props were the accurate. They turned a creative outlet into a PSA about The Zodiac Killer. Every scene was carefully crafted to make the audience want more and to realize that this happened not too long ago. From the 70's to 2007, that was about forty years. That's not even half a lifetime. There was this one scene where a news anchor spoke to The Zodiac Killer over the phone, and it was eerie. The phone kept crackling and cutting out. it added to the tense atmosphere and made people jump because the killer had never done something like this before. 

The movie moved very quickly as it jumped through time from murder to murder. We never stayed with a character too long, but were constantly around Jake Gyllenhaal's character, Robert. He was a cartoonist that worked for the publishing company that received the letters and he loved to solve riddles. He wanted to help with deciphering the letters, but they didn't let him, until Robert Downey Jr.'s character let him try. Fast forward a four years, and Downey's character is gone from the publishing company but Robert is still there. The zodiac killer hasn't killed in a long time and people are relieved but nervous. Robert goes to see Downey's character in his shack hut on the coast, and convinces him to write a book about The Zodiac Killer. He agrees and the movie ends.

This type of ending leaves the audience waiting and confused. Why didn't they solve the murder? Because at the time that it was released in 2007, they still wouldn't have caught him. Recently, there has been some murmurs about finding out the real Zodiac Killer is dead, but that is just crazy to me. How come they never found him through the years? Was he that smart of a person to avoid being caught by the law? How come they never could trace him back from anything like ballistics or a finger print? Was he that perfect of a homicidal maniac? I don't want to toot his own horn, but the Zodiac Killer knew how to avoid the law. There's proof that he even got arrested for a DUI, and they still didn't suspect anything! 

This movie had fabulous screenwriting and acting. I think this movie is amazing. Movies really are a fabulous creative outlet for people to create magic. I hope one day I will get to do that to people. I want people to feel something when I release my movies.