Three hours is not enough. . .

Manley 2022-04-22 07:01:02

This is a very unique and thoughtful criminal investigation drama. Although the content of nearly three hours is a little long and dull, it even blurs the boundaries between documentary and film entertainment. But you will never regret watching it. Several leading actors, police officers, cartoonists, and former reporters all performed very well. The dark tone and flat, objective narrative are also very suitable for this suspenseful mystery film.

The process of seeing is like recognizing a map. In the first hour of the movie, the story is told part by part, disorganized and disconnected, and it feels like the time is chaotic. A lot of people may stop here, and I was one of those people. But stick with it, you will definitely be pleasantly surprised. The content of this part of the movie seems very boring to show the criminal process while hiding the criminal, but it increases the audience's level of engagement in the subsequent puzzle solving process. The details make the subsequent viewing of the movie to an unparalleled level.

In the middle part of the investigation, all kinds of investigations are carried out, and every time I feel that I want to solve the truth of the matter, I find that I have walked into a dead end. Personally, I feel that this paragraph has a very real and profound reflection on some social customs. For example, there are geographical divisions among the police stations, cooperation is difficult, and everyone does not trust each other. Newspapers also have their own internal purpose rather than revealing the truth of the incident as the first priority. The media, newspapers, and the police are well portrayed in the mutual sharing of information and restraint. So far, the plot of the newspaper cartoonist, who always makes people feel like an outsider, is very abrupt and superfluous. However, it is this outsider's perspective, the perspective of objective thinking and mastering the overall situation, that pushes the third paragraph of the plot to a climax.

The third paragraph makes people feel like when they are close to seeing the whole map, they are stunned to find that a key part is missing, and this key missing also makes the rest of the map seem to be incomprehensible in the fog. After persuading Yuhi's colleagues to continue investigating and publishing the book to no avail, the manga artist decided to do it by himself (still wondering about the manga artist's enthusiasm and motivation to investigate the case, is it born with this personality?). The investigation process is very exciting, and the police officers' various leaks are very cute. Looking through the files in the archives and asking various parties, and finally piecing together the whole mystery, it is very handsome. Unfortunately, the rick line has also become a dead end. A twist in the plot points the eye again to the once-suspected Leigh. The police officer finally had a conversation with the cartoonist in the restaurant, and the chronological order seemed to lock him into the suspect. The plot came to an abrupt end here, the book became famous, the police arrested Leigh, and the final ending was only described in the form of words.

It seems that the ending has explained all the main points, but there are still a lot of plots left for the audience to continue to imagine. The two main suspects:
1. Why are the letter notes inconsistent with the main suspect? (I guess it was the movie poster writer who helped zodiac to confuse the public. As for the motive, there is no way to know.)
2. Who was rick marshall who was reported by someone over the phone at the end, the suspicion was quite big, and it was over in the end. ?

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Extended Reading

Zodiac quotes

  • Melvin Belli: Inspector Toschi.

    [holds up bloodied shirt piece]

    Melvin Belli: It is my belief that this is a window into this man's soul. Killing is his compulsion. Even though he tries to ignore it, it drives him. It's in his blood.

    Dave Toschi: Maybe. Or maybe he just likes the attention.

  • [Graysmith visits with Ken Narlow in Napa]

    Robert Graysmith: Does the name Rick Marshall mean anything to you?

    Ken Narlow: [it does] What are you after?

    Robert Graysmith: What have you got?

    Ken Narlow: Hypothetically, you just named my favorite suspect in the whole case. This is off the record. Couple of years back, I was trying to get Marshall's prints. I handed him a photo. He looks at it. He's about to give it back and he says, "My goodness, I got fingerprints all over this." And he wipes them off.

    Robert Graysmith: Why didn't you test him for handwriting?

    Ken Narlow: Because when they finally did run his prints... they cleared him against the one in Stine's cab.

    Robert Graysmith: So it's not him?

    Ken Narlow: Maybe yes, maybe no.

    Robert Graysmith: No? What do you mean?

    Ken Narlow: Zodiac left gloves behind at the scene. If he had the foresight to bring gloves with him, how the hell's he gonna accidentally leave a print behind?

    Robert Graysmith: But it was in the victim's blood.

    Ken Narlow: Could have been one of the bystanders, or a cop just reaches out... Boom. False print.

    Robert Graysmith: But that print disqualified 2,500 suspects.

    Ken Narlow: Which is why we used handwriting.

    Robert Graysmith: But not for Rick Marshall.

    Ken Narlow: S.F.P.D. saw a handwritten sign in the window of his house, decided it looked nothing like the Z letters, so they moved on.

    Robert Graysmith: How do they know Rick Marshall wrote the sign?

    Ken Narlow: [smiles] My thoughts exactly. Rick Marshall was a Navy man. He received code training. He was also a projectionist at a silent film theater.

    Robert Graysmith: How do I get a copy of Rick Marshall's handwriting?

    Ken Narlow: Three ways. One, get a warrant; which you can't. Two, get him to volunteer; which he won't.

    Robert Graysmith: Yeah, and three?

    Ken Narlow: Get creative.