David Fincher's ZODIAC (2007): The last great Hollywood film

[@musicmann1967]

The first time I saw this in the theater, I was completely shocked when it ended! I didn't actually know wny details about the Zodiac case before seeing the movie, and I didn't realize that the case remained unsolved. So when the movie seemingly just stopped and threw up some onscreen graphics to explain what happened to everybody, it felt very abrupt and startling to me. (not so with further viewings) Part of the reason for that shock was also that it felt like I was in a trance or something while watching this movie. It could have gone on for another two hours, and I swear to god, I was so wrapped up in it and under its spell, I would have happily kept watching! One of my favorite movies.

[@bloodswarms]

Your channel deserves more attention.

[@ericklingenberg5309]

It is a great film, that doesn't get name dropped often enough. I'm glad 1 Fucking Hour covered this one.

[@shanewhitley7770]

For the sake of clarity: Charles Fleischer portrays Bob Vaughn/ Creepy Basement Guy. As a dose of useless trivia, Fleischer provided the voice of Roger Rabbit. Also? If anyone wants to see John Carroll Lynch play another understated, terrifying character, check out Karyn Kusama's The Invitation. Excellent episode, guys!

[@mojotwang]

Having a large Bluray/4K collection makes it difficult to make a choice but THIS film is one of my go-to’s.. Excellent story, acting & music !!

[@jacobprice4311]

The soundtrack is one of the greatest Hollywood soundtracks of all time. The original david shire soundtrack as well as the needle drops by fincher. Also love how every murder scene shows a similar looking but different actor for each kill. One of the best period peices, thrillers, and crime docs of all time

[@logicalfallacy234]

Holy shit, this is a godsend of a find! So happy to find a movie podcast that isn't just Star Wars and comic book movies. I looked over your video catalog, and was happy to find it's mostly 60s-80's stuff! But yeah, I honestly think the issue with Modern Hollywood is a lack of American interest in the stories of other countries. I can easily imagine a Godfather/Zodiac/Social Network sized epic about the Syrian Civil War, or Vietnam in the decade after America left. I've also been reading about Soekarno of Indonesia, and Gamel Nasser of Egypt, two post-WWII titans on the world stage. As a writer interested in developing new material, Hollywood's current taste leaves me to having to adapt those stories (if/when I choose to write them) into novels or plays, which is fine! But I grew up with film, and it's the medium that comes most naturally to me.

[@hidikitalks]

The mentioning of Cox in Manhunter makes me yearn for a Michael Mann triple feature episode on The Keep, Thief and Manhunter.

[@musicmann1967]

The Rob Zombie "Yee-ahh!" You guys got me good with that one!! Hahaha!

[@clintonorman2859]

I love Zodiac but what about "No Country For Old Men?" Isn't that a great Hollywood film?

[@MrOctober44]

Classic

[@ImAliveAndYouAreDead]

"No country..." is a great movie but "Zodiac" is a masterpiece.

[@harrypothead42024]

48:19 Robert Fleischer he played the voice of Rodger rabbit. As well as the dream doctor in the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie

[@erickjohnston7235]

Fincher's director commentary on Zodiac is a great listen.

[@drdavid1963]

And the other commentary with Downey, Gylenhaal, scriptwriter Vanderbilt and James Ellroy is even better. Ellroy vouching for this movie as one of the greatest American crime movies tells you a lot.

[@Signorellielli]

Robert Downey Jr was the only thing that made A Scanner Darkly watchable

[@geraldbayley5781]

Also just for the record Vallejo has always been a frightening shithole describing it as the suburbs ignores a certain ominous quality that’s clear to anyone that’s been there. It has a strong “oh yeah I could score speed here vibe” and that’s true from the sixties till now.

[@brendoncassidy1316]

Yup

[@BakerDeltaFour]

That’s really interesting. I’d love you to go into more detail about the area as I’ve often wondered

[@danwroy]

True, it's a naval town, and a true ghetto today.

[@MrOctober44]

Great movie, great breakdown as always. Amazing how this movie was completely ignored by the Oscar's/Golden Globe

[@OneFuckingHour]

If it came out today, it would certainly win best picture. Especially compared to the shit that’s out now.

[@MrOctober44]

​@@OneFuckingHour lol. So true

[@SuperOmnicronsj44]

One of my favourite films. Revisit it from time to time , because I am originally from the Bay Area and the memories of the advertisements were great. Hope to see Fincher's next film.

[@bodhidweller]

Great podcast, gonna have to rewatch Zodiac after this!

[@robaquarian]

i saw them shoot the scene when hes in the phone booth. Fincher even did a lot of takes of greysmith running in the rain with the newspaper over his head.

[@Dadutta]

love that Jimmi "Mcpoyle" Simpson is in it, he deserves to get way more work

[@clintonorman2859]

Your discussion of the interrogation scene made me think of Mindhunter on Netflix. Fincher directed the first one and the last two of the first season. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the episodes, although I like the whole series. He's got the TOUCH! The pacing, acting, use of music and sound, all top notch, I go back and just watch those three episodes. There is an interrogation in there too!

[@clintonorman2859]

Excellent as ever! You guys make Mondays Fun days. One thing you didn't talk about much was a big part of how I see the film, which is the concept that "solving a crime" of an insane person in this case was tantamount to an attempt to project order onto chaos which only resulted in damage to the sanity of those undertaking that project. The Zodiac set up some patterns but then he would break them... like with the cabbie. And why did he make the Berryessa killing out to be a robbery until the last minute, if he was going to kill them anyway? Very erratic behavior. Also, unrelated, but how about that carving on the desk in USC... that was pretty creepy! So many weird little details in this case, who knows which are even connected?

[@jfdblues]

I have to say I am glad that y'all acknowledge the fact that requiem for a dream isn't good. I'm a big Hubert Selby fan, and the movie version of last exit to Brooklyn is a favorite of mine. In fact, the first time in saw requiem, I didn't know it was from a Hubert Selby book, but the scene where the 2 girls are "ahem", and "end to end, baby!" Reminded me of the scene where tra la la let all those guys uhhhh.... so I have mixed feelings about requiem. But I tried to watch it recently, and i was like nahhh

[@jfdblues]

I commented on y'alls video for boogie nights "my wife's got an ass in her cock", line from bill Macy's didn't get a mention lol! I am amazed that they kept that take!

[@harrypothead42024]

I don't think there is a Zodiac Killer I honestly believe after reading everything that I could, a rabbit hole this movie sent me down, that there are no links between incidents. I believe the letter writer was probably a police officer. And I think I know who it actually was, that would be the guy who admitted to writing letters. I got to admit I was kind of disappointed that that was left out of this movie since that person is portrayed in the movie quite extensively

[@peterengelen2794]

Truly one of the greatest movies of the last 22 years (if not so, of all time). It's also the only movie I can put on (on dvd/Blu-ray), no matter what kind of mood I am, or I don't know what to choose from my collection, and end up with ''Zodiac''. It is also my favorite scene of the movie, the interrogation of Arthur Leigh Allen (John Caroll Lynch), 2nd is the Brian Cox (one of my all time favorite actors) tv moment. Andindeed the two most scariest scenes are ''the abduction'' and ''the basement''. All time favorite movie. Btw, I wish, y'all talked more about the actor or actually actors who played and voiced the Zodiac Killer, I think each and every murder scene (and the abduction) with the Zodiac killer is made with different ''actors'', not to mention all the voices. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@clintonorman2859]

Sounds like how they did it in Cruisin'.

[@peterengelen2794]

@@clintonorman2859 now that you've mentioned it, I didn't even realize...

[@90Cmart]

Good pick

[@stevekasan1575]

LOVE this movie and my fav Fincher film. I get so captivated by the investigation even though Ive seen the film so many times. I truly believe, Gyllenhaal is acting AS Tobey Maguire here. I remember at the time the comparisons and I think due to Tobey's back injury, there was talk of Jake taking over the Peter Parke role. When i see this film, i see Jake acting as Tobey. Sticking with this Detective obsession gimmick, would you guys be opposed to doing a Foreign film, Memories of Murder, which also has an interesting modern end/solving.

[@chrisgrove7829]

I never saw this one, but will have to put it on my list. When I think of the actually story, I always think that it inspired the first Dirty Harry film:)

[@drdavid1963]

I am obsessed with this movie more than any other and I have seen about 35-40 times and watched scenes a lot more times. Although I love the movie, I think it could have been perfect if it was cut down a little bit. The Kathleen Johns section and the projectionist/basement scene are fun horror moments but were only tenuously to do with the case and the Rick Marshall part could just cut from the handwriting expert to the prison visit and then to Melvin Bellai's house and to Dave Toschi and the end. The film needs closure and those scenes just drag it out too long. I am really nitpicking here but it's an unfortunate trend in movies of the last 20 years that they want to say too much. If you can't say it in two hours make a mini-series. But the subject, the performances, the script, the music and Fincher's direction are all so good, it's endlessly rewatchable. I think like a lot of the movies of the 70s that were just under two hours were perfect and they have maximum emotional impact. At two and a hlaf hours, we really want the movie to end.

[@Dgenuske]

Great episode

[@videostoryanalyses8910]

A very immersive film.

[@hvitekristesdod]

Excellent film that I’m proud to own. John Carroll Lynch is hugely underrated. Just rewatched him film Lucky that he directed

[@jamesedwardclard]

I haven't seen Zodiac. I f-cking hated Social Network! I would've put it on last weeks list. I had forgotten about it until you guys mentioned it.

[@OneFuckingHour]

Def do Zodiac

[@brendoncassidy1316]

It’s fucking fantastic watch it

[@badinfluence3814]

Don't do it. Zodiac is like a more pretentious, dull Social Network with the humour stripped out.

[@royscustomfigures]

That was really good! Watched the entire thing. Love Zodiac.

[@tylerscott2116]

Not responding to the context of the video, only the title. The Dark Knight (08) is a great piece of Hollywood blockbuster film making. I know people who claim to be lover of cinema aren't suppose to like films based off of IPs, let alone remakes, its definitely the pinnacle of what a blockbuster is capable.

[@badinfluence3814]

Zodiac isn't a blockbuster.

[@67psychout]

The creepy scene in the basement and Robert Downey Jr. Going to meet someone somewhere should have been deleted scenes. They make no sense and go nowhere

[@lilnutty6821]

Can someone please tell me where the footage in the opening "credits" is from

[@Mikey_Sea]

Good session guys. What does everybody think about the fact that if Don Cheney was telling the truth that Arthur Leigh Allen must of been the Zodiac, but if he was lying what was his motive? Arthur put his hands on Cheney's daughter is a possible motive and the other is to frame Allen for the Z crimes if Cheney was Z. Richard Gaikowski is another suspect with lots of circumstantial tidbits. My favorite being that he used the abreviation Gaik, and 'Gyke' was found in the 408 cipher which with the 'key' turned into 'ause' when solved. Gyke-ause-key. Interesting stuff and so many people seem to fit.

[@mikemc5221]

I truly believe there were two different people working in conjunction with each other.

[@jingalls9142]

Wasnt the oddly dressed old newspaper vendor R Crumb? The cartoonist. He was famous for raunchy amd violent and weird counterculture type art. He was also from San Francisco and was a young man working as a comic artist at the time. Likely hanging out with hard drinking newsmen. I may be wrong but i think i may be correct lol

[@danwroy]

David Fincher's Twin Peaks

[@robovampire]

OK Its driving me nuts.. whats on Evans hat?! lol anybody?

[@artyfuffkin7805]

I have a true life story of meeting / stalked /attacked this Zodiac killer ,really killers I talked briefly to Brad Fischer a out the story , he said he and Fincher looked at it found it interesting, recently a director is trying to get big studio to turn into a 1 hr TV series

[@bfunderb5899]

Zodiac is probably Garth Brooks

[@stephenszklarski5446]

Film is amazing

[@robaquarian]

I thought the movie was weak. 1st half was good. Then it gets tedious. When it started focusing on the greysmith character i didnt care.

[@badinfluence3814]

I felt very similar when it came out and when I watched it a couple of years back. 'Memories of Murder' and 'JFK' are both far superior 'years-long-period-thriller-crime-investigation-with-obsessed-characters-who-don't-solve-the-case' films. It's far from a bad film, but it's wholly unremarkable. Much like most of Fincher's 'meticulous and detailed' output.

[@artyfuffkin7805]

This movie flopped on 07 domesticly what did it all time gross ?

[@williamstevenson8518]

All The President's Men is one of the most alienating things I've ever seen in my life. I have never felt more repelled by two equally superficial performances. And some self-conscious camera work too. Such a disappointing movie. Not everything made in the 70s is great. Also, as much as you're bashing Requiem, I think Fincher and Aronofsky do a lot of similar things. Or at least strive for similar results. I kind of like Aronofsky better. And Zodiac is one of the movies that sways me in that direction. Zodiac comes off as a rather staid movie. It's not engaging. It keeps making promises it doesn't deliver on. You can make the case that it's culturally a mature movie. Zodiac feels like a responsible movie a lot of the time in the characterizations and the depiction of critical scenes. But that's not necessarily the ride I want to take.

[@OneFuckingHour]

There are so many things wrong with this comment, I don’t even know where to start. Go get ‘em tiger boat captain!

[@badinfluence3814]

I haven't seen 'All The President's Men' in a long time, but Redford was always a very mannered, superficial actor so I can understand your feelings on that at least. I saw Pakula's 'The Parallax View' again last year and while it has a few excellent moments, overall that hasn't aged well at all.

[@mojotwang]

Having a large Bluray/4K collection makes it difficult to make a choice but THIS film is one of my go-to’s.. Excellent story, acting & music !!