of life/April Story
At the beginning of the film, soothing songs came from the radio, singing and dancing were peaceful outside the car window, and the 1969 Independence Day fireworks bloomed in the night sky, reflecting the bright lights of the city. Following the camera, we witness a murder, after which the man with the gun, calling himself the Zodiac, sends passwords and letterhead to several newspapers in hopes of raising his profile. Whether this unhealthy or high self-esteem mentality has any effect is unknown, but the Zodiac Killer has not committed many murders in the next few years, which makes people shudder.
Then, director David Fincher showed several criminal cases one after another in the investigation of the police and newspapers, like the documentary. It is precisely because of its changeable methods and invariable but hard-to-find handwriting (the handwriting on the letterhead can never be confirmed) that the police are helpless.
The film sets up two groups of forces to fight against the brutal and arrogant Zodiac killers: the police and the newspaper staff, each of which happens to be the cooperation of the two. From the passage of time, the team showed the hardships in the case detection and investigation process, so some people were transferred, and some people were drunk and degenerate. Those who persevere face the killer who is like an invisible man, without the motivation to support, only the perseverance and determination.
Director David Fincher did not set "Zodiac Killer" as a magnificent plot, but spread out the time of many years without any hassle. Although it is like a glass of warm water, it makes the attention gradually deepened. And the accurate subtitles of each period are deeply imprinted in my heart, and this black memory cannot be erased. David Fincher uses a peaceful and objective method to record the bits and pieces of the case detection process. The previous film skills are condensed in this seemingly simple, but dark and turbulent film.
The front of the Zodiac Killer did not appear in several murders recorded in the film, or was intentionally blocked by clothing. The crime process is natural and smooth, as if the camera has returned to the real record of the year. The performance here just acts as a foil to the green leaves, and it will not appear to be overwhelming, making the atmosphere of the film always brewing.
The film uses cartoonist Robert Graysmith's two marriages to illustrate the difficulty of the investigation, whose obsession has failed to explain his desire to uncover the Zodiac. The communication between the police in the boundary area also appears to have many barriers. Even with a righteous heart, the grinding of time has smoothed out the edges and corners one by one.
Zodiac killers, or the "self-injection" of many pseudo-killers, disturbed the line of sight of the investigation, and the hopes generated by each new discovery would be instantly dashed. The reported suspect, Arthur Leigh Aaron, was the most likely culprit, but the inability to find evidence ruined the best opportunity to punish the murderer. From the first time the police contacted Aaron, the footage in the film hinted at a ray of light, as if victory was within reach. At the same time, the suspect's unusual composure and action details revealed "the best possible chance", but in the end, nothing was obtained.
At this time, the film uses another special effect other than blood plasma. A high-rise building is pulled up from the ground, which reminds people of the passage of time. The cunning of the killer has consumed many people's energy and life for many years. When "Dirty Harry" was released, the audience on the screen seemed to forget the fact that the plot in the film was from a real murder around them. Many were disappointed and helpless, and cartoonist Robert Graysmith is still holding on. Overlooking San Francisco at night from the Golden Gate Bridge, there is a vague unease in the confusion as the Zodiac is still at large.
The end of the film seems to be exposed to the truth again. Robert, who was looking for clues in the handwriting of the poster, came to a basement. In the dark and depressing atmosphere, Robert speculated that there might be two killers, and the motive for the murder may come from "The Most Dangerous Game". movie. But the inference of the suspect Rick Marshall was quickly denied, and it turned out that it was a little trick David Fincher played with us.
Who the hell is the Zodiac, even though Arthur Leigh Aaron's birthday is December 18, and December 1969 the Zodiac says "I'm going to kill, today is my birthday"; Aaron's code book, prints on military boots, shoes and gloves of the same size, following "The Most Dangerous Game", wearing a Zodiac watch, being a school student, misspelling "Christmas" grammar, bloody The evidence of the knife, but these are not the most critical fingerprints and handwriting, and Sherwood, the chief handwriting expert, ruled out his handwriting. You must know that Sherwood is an alcoholic, but the "evidence" can no longer become evidence.
Looking at the timeline, the Zodiac was first committed on Christmas Day 1968 and disappeared after the murder of Darlene Flynn in Valleio in July 1969 (with frequent emails to the press). It was not until January, May and July 1974 that three new letters appeared. Aaron was fired in April 1968 for harassing students, and he has since been heard hating students. Aaron was also arrested in January 1971 and sent to Atascadero Prison to serve his sentence, just in time for no Zodiac letter to appear. After he got out of prison, he used a printer to write a letter to Dave, the police officer in charge of the Zodiac Killer case, and he was the only person among the 2,500 suspects who had ever written a letter to Dave. The victim, Darlene Flynn, knew a man named Leigh at the Scones House in Valleio, on the corner of Tennessee Avenue and Carroll Avenue. And Arthur Leigh Aaron lived in his mother's basement on Fresno Street, less than 50 yards away. Linda's testimony locked the scope on this Arthur Leigh Aaron.
Time jump to Valleio, California on December 20, 1983, when cartoonist Robert came to a grocery store and met Arthur Leigh Aaron, who he was looking for. At that moment, Robert seemed to hear the heavy breathing of the Zodiac Killer on the phone. This finishing touch is like Bong Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder", which makes the audience who experienced the journey of the Zodiac killer in the whole film no longer able to calm down. The end of everything is the beginning of everything else.
At the end of the film, on August 16, 1991, at the airport in Ontario, California, the bookshelves are filled with cartoonist Robert's newly published non-fiction book, "Demystifying the Zodiac: The Identity of America's Demons." Survivor Mike Matthews at the beginning of the film picks Aaron out of the suspect's photo at a glance. "10 on a scale of 1 to 10 is pretty sure, how sure are you", "at least 8, the last time I saw this face was July 4, 1969". Authorities plan to arrange a meeting to discuss charges related to murder after Mike Matthews identified Arthur Leigh Aaron. Just before the meeting, Aaron died of a heart attack.
In 2002, the police extracted DNA from an envelope of a 33-year-old 12th house killer, which did not match Aaron's after comparison. However, police detectives in San Francisco and Valleio refused to rule out Aaron's suspicion. The San Francisco Police Department terminated the Zodiac investigation in 2004. However, to this day, in Napa, Solano and Valleio, the case has not been closed. Arthur Leigh Aaron remains the primary and only suspect.
The subtitles at the end of the film explain the whereabouts of the relevant real people in the film. Robert Graysmith, the author of "Demystifying the Zodiac: The Mystery of the Identity of the American Devil" is one of the screenwriters, and the film is based on his work. As for the true identity of the Zodiac Killer, I am afraid that, like the foggy Golden Gate Bridge on the poster, you cannot see the way forward, but you have the light to guide the way.
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