What Is This Movie Really About?

The most famous, mysterious, unsolved serial killer in American history, yes.
The one that made us all lose our innocence and lock our doors.

I always wondered why no one ever made a feature film about this case, and now I know why. It’s a long, tortured, bitch of a story with no clear ending — even 40 years later.

But what’s the real focus here?

Not Zodiac, I’d argue. We see the result of his “work,” but we never really see him unless you believe it ends with the right suspect. I think it’s about the enormous toll, in time and energy, that police and reporters slog into a case that becomes an ever-growing sinkhole with no bottom. Graysmith, sure — but no one embodies this more than Detective Dave Toschi. Wonderfully played by Mark Ruffalo, the seething frustration of a man who cares deeply about his work but begins to realize he may have spent his life chasing a mirage is frustrating and sad for us to watch. Just look at the two-minute trailer on Netflix right now, Toschi eating a hamburger at a diner while Graysmith tries to get anything he can. It’s early on, yet already they’re opposing forces: Toschi irritated that newbies always think they know more yet believe he doesn’t care or has not pursued the case vigorously while Graysmith tries to find a crack in his shell to push through his research and observations. All between convincing bites of hamburger. Looks, sounds, and feels real. Those dark eyes aimed right at his adversary, eyes that say “We’re way ahead of you, buddy” and “One day, you’ll know what a filthy ball of wet string this case is and how it tears you up.” Ruffalo’s arc to the third act, in which he almost comes to blows, is not only very compelling, but inspires empathy. Is any case worth this, the movie asks. Each viewer will have to decide for himself.

But this film is the highlight of Ruffalo’s career, marking him indelibly as a serious dramatic film actor. As confirmation, the next decade brought him three Oscar nominations. Should have been four.