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A number of crime thriller movies have been made based on the infamous Zodiac killer, who terrorized North California in the late 1960s. One of the closest to truth depictions was presented in the David Fincher film,Zodiacreleased in 2007. The movie drew its inspiration from Robert Graysmith’s firsthand accounts of the case, documented in his two books. The movie had a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, and Mark Ruffalo.
David Fincher spent his childhood in Marin County, California; therefore, he was very familiar with the case. However, he expressed his dissatisfaction with another 1971 movie that portrayed a highly fictionalized version of the Zodiac Killer.
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David Fincher Hated The Portrayal Of The Zodiac Killer In Clint Eastwood’s Movie
One of the first mainstream films to feature the Zodiac Killer was theClint EastwoodstarrerDirty Harry. The movie was released at a time when the investigations were still active. The serial killer in the movie, Scorpio, terrorized the city, committing multiple sniper gun murders and even taking a bus full of children hostage. In the climax, the killer is shot dead by Eastwood’s Harry Callahan in a cinematic style.
David Fincherwas not happy with the wayDirty Harryended. To theFight Clubdirector, the killer was a source of personal horror for many people and he could not process the way the killer in the movie was easily killed off. Fincher shared:
“…I didn’t see “Dirty Harry” till I was probably 12, I didn’t see it until its rerelease, but I remember because Zodiac was such a kind of a personal thing, like this person had kind of crept into our personal unconscious, and f**ked with us for so many years, that when I saw Zodiac as plot device in the movie I was a little bit appalled…”
As theSevendirector rightly points out, the lack of resolution was the most haunting thing about the Zodiac case.Dirty Harrysimply masks this unsettling truth with a satisfying scene that gets applause from the audience.
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David Fincher Portrayed Dave Toschi’s Frustration In The Film
Inspector Dave Toschi was the chief investigator on the Zodiac case. Toschi served as the inspiration forMark Ruffalo’s character in David Fincher’s film. Toschi was troubled by the wayDirty Harrysimplified the justice served to the killer’s character. At the time of its release, Toschi was after Arthur Leigh Allen, the prime suspect in the case. Toschi recalled the challenges he faced in gathering evidence and getting warrants to search Allen’s trailer, which almost took nine months.
However, in the movie, Harry Callahan just shoots the serial killer, without caring about evidence or warrants. Fincher shared about Toschi’s frustration:
“[Toschi] was a little sickened by how easily it was concluded in the movies and kind of resented the fact that people were saying to him, ‘hey, Clint Eastwood sure did a great job with your case.'”
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The Gamedirector added Toschi’s disappointment in a scene inZodiacwhen Mark Ruffalo walks out of a theater showingDirty Harry. The scene implied both David Fincher and Dave Toschi’s feelings towards the film.Zodiacis now available for streaming in Paramount Plus.
Source:YouTube
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
