Zodiac

Zodiac,

I don't like slasher movies. I don't want to see a pretty teenager screaming and get covered in a mixture, of tomato sauce and red wine
Its not my thing. I do love cop shows ;The Shield, NYPD Blue, Homicide I love history, and this is a piece about the Zodiac murders. So I gave it a try.


(2021 edit - I now watch a lot more True Crime ) 

Zodiac inspired the Scorpio killer in Dirty Harry. Who was played by Andrew G Robinson.-Who later played Garak, in Deep Space Nine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zodiac_Killer_in_popular_culture

I remember him in Nash Bridges

A pop culture killer. Why did he (Zodiac) get to be this spotlight?

The Zodiac Killer, sent notes, to several San Francisco  newspapers, recounting his deeds.
Threating more murders  if the notes were not published. Zodiac also demanded, the Newspapers print copies of a cypher,
He had  created proclaiming and relishing the murders he had committed

The film starts by recounting the murder of  the Zodiacs first victim. A woman and a teenager.
The teenage boy survives several shots. He then disappears

The killing bothered me. I can watch Princep shoot the Archduke. I can watch him pull the trigger. Killing a man and his wife.An act that will lead to the slaughter of millions. It will bring down Thrones, it will remake the world.
That I can process and be fine.
Here is another shooting. Another death. Another set of parents left to mourn.
Perhaps it the difference between public tragedy and private grief. Perhaps its academic training. Perhaps, we fear murder, but not history. As war is impersonal murder is not

I wondered how the boy and girls parent's, sisters or brothers felt about the film?

The film ends, by pointing out that Jake G's character the cartoonist, has a healthy relationship with his children. This is probably a response to a scene. In which Jake G is using his sons, to
cross reference the killings to lunar cycles- It was a different time 

The San Francisco newspaper offices. are not as smoky as they should be. Yes, I see Robert Downey Jr smoke later on. However there should be a haze of smoke and ash trays everywhere i n remembrance of Nicotine past. Though the film, does remember a time long ago, when people could smoke on the last few rows of an airplane

I find Robert Downey Jnr a touch smug, there is something that annoys me about the man.
( This is before Iron Man)  
Jake Gyllenhaal,(  I prefer his sister:) does a good job. Mark Ruffalo is better. Its a film full of quietly competent performances. ( Two future Avengers, and Mephisto 

The film, Zodiac  most reminds me of is  JFK Another murder. Or set of Murders, if you include the killing or Ruby.
In Mark Bellini, actually acted as defense for Ruby. (He also starred in Star Trek ;the original series)
While JFK investigated the conspiracy. Zodiac is the world of the cock up.
The Murders, happened over several jurisdictions. One Police department did not have a Telefax. Cast of footprints not taken. A Park Ranger destroyed the site.
Evidence was not shared. Evidence was leaked. Time was wasted.

I have actually seen the most ``The Most Dangerous Game''. I caught it during my teens. ``Tartar war bow'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Most_Dangerous_Game_%28film%29

'This a movie the Killer, references in his note.
In short the Zodiac Killer, and so Zodiac  is a study in the Banality of evil. Not only a murderer but someone  may have taken the credit for crimes he did not commit. The shooting of a police officer. He refences, a 1932 movie. His code, was broken by two history teachers. He was almost caught. 
A misreading of the suspect race in the cab murder.
( The events described happen over the turning of the 1960's into the 1970) Zodiac uses a Luger. To commit his crimes.

Then there is the Loss- Like in JFK The feeling of something left undone
 Garrison the DA, in JFK Never got a conviction. Toschi the detective assigned to the case, here never got a collar. Indeed he lost his Police partner due to his obsession' with the case  (BTW Nice to see Antony Edwards again)  Toschi  ended up writing himself fan mail. Driven mad and desperate by the Devil 
Jake G loses another marriage over the case. The teenager, who survived his paramour's slaying.vanishes.

A film about a murderer who wanted to be famous, and the evils of fame, and 

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