Zodiac Analysis

ZODIAC (2007)

Director: David Fincher

Writers: James Vanderbilt, Robert Graysmith

Main Stars: Jake Glylenhaal,Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo

Main genre: Thriller
Subgenre: Crime/Historical (it's based on The Zodiac killer, who was prominent in the 70s)

Crime thriller plot conventions:
Serial Killer>>Calm>>victim>>Investigations>>Another Victim>>Tracing the killer>>Closing in on the killer>>The killer is murdered/arrested>>Movie Closure

Zodiac, however challenges these conventions strongly because:
1. The Zodiac Killer's true identity was never known, even after a 40 years.  Along with that, he was never caught in the film.

2.There is no equilibrium at the start, contradicting Todorov's Narrative theory. Zodiac starts off with a murder on the 4th of July.

3. The Investigators are never in control

Zodiac also incorporates both restricted and unrestricted narrative ranges

-UNRESTRICTED: the audience knows and sees more than the characters 
The victim killings
The killer never got caught
The film takes place somewhere between the 60s-80s. 


-RESTRICTED: The characters and audience learn the story at the same time
Details of the case
Arthur Leigh Allen is one of the suspects
The complicated nature of the investigation.
The Zodiac killer's anonymity as his  face is kept hidden during murder scenes implying that both the audience and the investigators do not know of his true identity.

CHARACTERS

The use of Micro-elements in Zodiac

Sound

In the opening, the desensitized and sadistic nature of the Zodiac killer is revealed to the audience. This is created through the use of diegetic sound. In the opening scene, the Zodiac Killer can be seen taking the life of 2 victims on their honeymoon on the 4th of July. Once the two are allegedly shot, he walks away as the radio's music becomes louder, contrasting the drastic situation with lively tunes. One of the victims survives and rolls to the back seat of his car in desperation while the music lyric's go "rolly-poly" . The victim perceives it as a live or die situation, contrasting  the Zodiac Killer who sees it as something reminiscent of child's play through the use of diegetic music.

Cinematography

The high angle shot used in this scene of the Zodiac killer taking the life of another victim creates various implications and meanings.