David Fincher’s Crimes in 1970

The connection between the most powerful of all David Fincher’s products on murderers is brilliant (‘Mindhunter’ and ‘Zodiac’). On the recente, is FBI itself who face the challenge of understand that minds, while ‘Zodiac’ put a civilian on a similar adventure. The feeling I’m talking was wonder if this stories that happen in the 70's could merge, thinking about what Robert Graysmith (a simple cartoonist) would tell to Agent Holden Ford. And if they would work together?

Just like Hitchcock had print for years a dramatic sphere in all his suspenses, Fincher certainly is a similar name in "crime" films. What's call attention in his way of telling is the choice very precise of what show to viewers. Nothing is enough clear in anytime; doesn't matter if he put a spoiler in the middle of script - his capacity of keep the suspense (from Hitchcock's school) is unequaled based on a atmosphere of fear. We see the shadows of Zodiac in the very first scene, and traces of his face during whole movie. He shows suspects and all facts, but no one risks a end. So there is no surprise when Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners seems to be exactly something which Fincher would have done - in the movie, we have all informations, we feeling all pains from all characters, but nothing is enough.

Watching 'Zodiac' by its tenth anniversary (someone can believe it?), I was thinking about his rhythm. In Fincher's masterpiece, the routine of a newspaper was the guide to a story that never ends (was not FBI or anything we can imagine). Unbelievable that almost thirty years had docked in a script (from 68 to 2004). In practice, we are constantly jumping between events separated by days, weeks, and whole years, just like in 'Mindhunter'. But is obviously easier to Netflix's product because its long format - Holden and Graysmith, however, reach a very powerful charisma in so dramatical stories, although his screen-time .

Fincher are not interested in show us the deaths, but the stories remains in a ultraviolence sense. The madness of Zodiac's murders follow us for almost three hours, regardless of the killer's presence. When Graysmith discover the cartoon's author, that is a overpowering scene cause Fincher don't tell us what to expect - quickly, we all are terrify. A very similar moment happens in Mindhunter's season finale, when Holden faces Edmund Kemper in the hospital. Only in these moments, don't matter if we are seeing real characters; I knew Holden and Graysmith are alive, but for some seconds I thought they were going to die.

That enigma moves everything we know about suspense movies and it play with this. The colours are in that enigma also - what may seem a popular choice put a constant yellow to show “the past”, in Fincher’s hand this become bigger in contrast with a cold blue. Everyone is layered in this tones of a faded life, tired, distressed - the parts which moves aways from that are small, minimalist and suffocating. The social and sexual life of Graysmith and Holden, besides its little size in plot, are affected by those problems. In Fight Club (1999) this is more wide open because is the inverse (life impulses the whole problems), and this math is the same in Social Network (2011) when a man lose so much making enemies.

We feel that formula are not specific to one theme, but just in this films (we can include “Se7en” from two decades after) this converts to our fear. In subconscient, the mystery left about the Zodiac’s identity make the eyes widen at the credits  - oh, could he be on the streets? Could he have watched this film?

Some people was dissatisfied with the Zodiac’s and Mindhunter’s end, maybe by think they are stories about the killers, while just is about the "behind scenes" journeys. The film are more difficult cause have a protagonist who just want to be sure about his suspicions - when he founds, there is no reason to continue. In case of Mindhunter is differente by his second season be guaranteed - but his first ends when Holden cross a terrify line with a killer. Is to much to the plot, and Fincher says a very quickly goodbye with a lot of questions to be resolve (including a killer which we never see it in work).

This stories remains because all answers are in the air. No one know; us, the characters, the story or even Fincher. And this is a good dark place to be.