[SPOILERS: Zodiac]


Zodiac tells the story of the pursuit for the notorious Zodiac Killer, who to this day has never been conclusively identified, though the film is quite explicit about it’s own contentions as to the killer’s identity.

The most fascinating thing about the film is that, on paper, it should have never gotten off the ground. The shooting script came to a monstrous 207 pages, the final film having a runtime of 157 minutes, well above the average of your standard Hollywood release. The material itself isn’t exactly something studio heads would be at each other's throats over; there are basically no action scenes in the traditional sense, the film being comprised almost entirely of dialogue. And there was the fact that audiences would be going into the film knowing that the case was never definitively closed, thus, the “mystery” element would be significantly dampened; the film acting as more of a character study about the dangers of obsession.

And yet the film was widely acclaimed, is considered one of the best films of the 21st century. I slept on the film when it was first released but upon rewatching it, I was absolutely floored, particularly by the insane pacing. Despite the film’s length, lack of traditional action scenes, and me being aware of the culprit still being unidentified, the film is able to keep you constantly engaged. And this piqued my curiosity as to how a story that on paper seems like a dry, droll affair became one of the most gripping films of the last 20 years. The answer: causality


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[00:00] - Intro/Shout-outs
[02:31] - Let's Talk About Pacing
[03:26] - What is Causality?
[06:00] - Zodiac's Cause & Effect Storytelling
[10:47] - Clever Character Development
[12:31] - Conclusion
[14:36] - Outro/Patrons


VIDEO:

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MUSIC:

"Graysmith Obsessed" by David Shire (Zodiac: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Closer & Closer" by David Shire (Zodiac: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Danse Macabre" by Kevin MacLeod