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Zodiac - Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, David Fincher

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

There's more than one way to lose your life to a killer.

During the 1960s and 1970s, a serial killer known only as “the Zodiac” has the San Francisco bay area in a clutch of terror, killing innocent people uncontrollably and taunting police and journalists with letters, clues, and cryptograms. Several jurisdictions become involved in the sensational mystery, but the culprit continues to evade the authorities. Two journalists and two police officers become obsessively involved in the case. Highly intelligent editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and self-destructive ace reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr) are among the primary recipients of the killer's many messages to their newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle.

The two begin to gather as much information about the case as possible. Meanwhile, skilful homicide detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and his partner Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are equally consumed by the harrowing circumstances as they delve deeper into the investigation. The four men will become dangerously immersed in the puzzling case, which will either build or destroy their careers in the process.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film crime true serial killer clue San Francisco Chronicle police investigate

Persons of interest

Jake Gyllenhaal .... Robert Graysmith
Robert Downey Jr .... Paul Avery
Mark Ruffalo .... Dave Toschi
Anthony Edwards .... Armstrong
Jules Bruff .... Catherine Allen
Brian Cox .... Melvin Belli
John Ennis .... Terry Pascoe
Charles Fleischer .... Bob Vaughn
John Getz .... Templeton Peck
Adam Goldberg .... Duffy Jennings
Gloria Grant .... Mrs Betty Harden
Zach Grenier .... Mel Nicolai
John Hemphill .... Don Cheney
Elias Koteas .... Jack Mulanax
Patrick Scott Lewis .... Bryan Hartnell
Donal Logue .... Ken Narlow
John Carroll Lynch .... Arthur Leigh Allen
Jim McNichols .... Bill Hamlet
Dermot Mulroney .... Captain Lee
Bijou Phillips .... Linda Ferrin
Micah Sauers .... David Graysmith
Zachary Sauers .... Aaron Graysmith
Charles Schneider .... Paul Stine
Chloë Sevigny .... Melanie
Ione Skye .... Kathleen John
Alexander von Roon .... Detective T Stolarski
Robert Graysmith .... Author
James Vanderbilt .... Screenwriter
David Fincher .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Zodiac official movie site
Zodiac film production notes
Zodiac QuickTime movie trailers
Awards and film festivals:

See also Dirty Harry
Studios and distributors:

Warner Bros * Paramount Pictures * Roadshow Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Zodiac is like a high-budget version of Law & order: Criminal intent with Jake Gyllenhaal as Detective Goran. It's good, but we've seen the obsessed loner destroy his life in search of the great white whale before.

The crime, true movie Zodiac is directed by David Fincher and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo.