The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award · 2:01:50
Zodiac as the greatest American crime film
A modern Zodiac case would be flattened into partisan internet discourse.
Sean Fennessey: Zodiac is proposed as the greatest American crime film.
‹ All movies
1:09:27
2:07:46
2:12:16
2:15:19
2:30:49
2:35:26
2:41:21
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Who won the movie
David Fincher
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Roger Ebert
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Just one Oscar
David Fincher
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Dion Waiters Award
Clea DuVall
The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson · 2:40:42
“It’s not finished until you type it up”
Bill Simmons: “It’s not finished until you type it up” is offered as a life lesson and compared with the idea that movies are abandoned rather than finished.
Cast
Selected cast credits · Film reference
Jake Gyllenhaal
Robert Graysmith
Mark Ruffalo
Inspector Dave Toschi
Robert Downey Jr.
Paul Avery
Anthony Edwards
Inspector Bill Armstrong
Brian Cox
Melvin Belli
Charles Fleischer
Bob Vaughn
Zach Grenier
Mel Nicolai
Philip Baker Hall
Sherwood Morrill
Elias Koteas
Sergeant Jack Mulanax
James LeGros
Detective George Bawart
Donal Logue
Captain Ken Narlow
John Carroll Lynch
Arthur Leigh Allen
Dermot Mulroney
Captain Marty Lee
Chloë Sevigny
Melanie Graysmith
John Terry
Charles Thieriot
June Diane Raphael
Carol Toschi
Ciara Moriarty
Darlene Ferrin
Adam Goldberg
Duffy Jennings
Tom Verica
Jim Dunbar
Lee Norris
Mike Mageau
Jimmi Simpson
Older Mike Mageau
Joel Bissonnette
Inspector Kracke
John Getz
Templeton Peck
John Mahon
Captain Gillette
Matt Winston
John Allen
Jules Bruff
Catherine Allen
John Ennis
Terry Pascoe
Patrick Scott Lewis
Bryan Hartnell
Pell James
Cecelia Shepard
Clea DuVall
Linda del Buono
Zachary Sauers
Aaron Graysmith
Micah Sauers
David Graysmith
Candy Clark
Carol Fisher
Paul Schulze
Sandy Panzarella
John Hemphill
Donald Cheney
Ed Setrakian
Al Hyman
The titular serial killer is portrayed by different actors in different scenes: Richmond Arquette
Zodiac 1 / Zodiac 2
Bob Stephenson
Zodiac 3
John Lacy
Zodiac 4
Everything from the episode
In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.
1:09:27
Roger Ebert's review
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:27Read transcript
- Ebert awarded Zodiac four stars. — Bill Simmons
- The review compared the film’s procedural texture to All the President’s Men. — Bill Simmons
2:07:46
Casting What-Ifs
Gary Oldman, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston appear in a detailed casting history.
Gary Oldman, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston appear in a detailed casting history.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 02:07:46Read transcript
- Gary Oldman was considered for Melvin Belli but physical resemblance was an issue. — Sean Fennessey
- Orlando Bloom was lined up as an alternative Graysmith. — Sean Fennessey
- Jennifer Aniston reportedly recommended Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo to Fincher. — Sean Fennessey
- Aniston declined the Chloë Sevigny role. — Sean Fennessey
- Fincher wanted Brad Pitt for Avery before Robert Downey Jr. — Bill Simmons
- The panel prefers Downey’s fast, nervy energy for Avery. — Sean Fennessey
2:12:16
Recasting Couch
Reject Michael Keaton for Anthony Edwards; John Slattery for the ensemble
Reject Michael Keaton for Anthony Edwards; John Slattery for the ensemble
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:12:16Read transcript
- Michael Keaton is proposed for Anthony Edwards’s role. — Sean Fennessey
- The proposal is rejected because Keaton would be too large for the role’s assist function. — Sean Fennessey
- Fincher reportedly called Anthony Edwards the embodiment of an assist. — Sean Fennessey
- John Slattery is proposed for an unspecified supporting role.
2:15:19
Half-Assed Internet Research
Period reconstruction, digital photography, a 1972 sting film, repeated straw takes, Ruffalo’s deal, and a cocktail
Period reconstruction, digital photography, a 1972 sting film, repeated straw takes, Ruffalo’s deal, and a cocktail
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 02:15:19Read transcript
- Production used period photos to recreate streets, cars, and the number of Volkswagen Beetles. — Bill Simmons
- The Thomson Viper digital camera is discussed as an early major digital-production choice. — Bill Simmons
- A 1972 Zodiac movie was reportedly screened as part of an attempted sting. — Bill Simmons
- The filmmakers behind that movie hoped the killer would attend. — Bill Simmons
- Downey’s straw trick reportedly required 26 takes. — Bill Simmons
- Ruffalo recounts a blunt studio negotiation over his casting. — Bill Simmons
- The movie’s cocktail recipe is enumerated and judged unappealing.
2:30:49
Picking Nits
Meetings, the roadside sequence, a clue, detective conduct, food history, and Herb Caen produce distinct nitpicks.
Meetings, the roadside sequence, a clue, detective conduct, food history, and Herb Caen produce distinct nitpicks.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 02:30:49Read transcript
- The number and arrangement of cartoonist meetings are questioned. — Bill Simmons
- Ione Skye pulling over for the stranger is questioned.
- The Narlow clue is questioned.
- Detectives interacting so freely with a prime suspect is questioned. — Sean Fennessey
- Penne alla vodka is flagged as a possible historical error. — Sean Fennessey
- The handling of Herb Caen is questioned.
2:35:26
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Who the Zodiac was, why police did not begin with people known to victims, what non-work obsession could consume a li...
Who the Zodiac was, why police did not begin with people known to victims, what non-work obsession could consume a life, whether Graysmith saw money in the project, and how a 1970s handwriting expert established authority
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 02:35:26Read transcript
- Who was the Zodiac killer? — Bill Simmons
- Why do police in serial-killer stories fail to begin with people the victims knew? — Bill Simmons
- What non-work subject could someone pursue so obsessively that they would throw their life away?
- Did Graysmith eventually see that his obsession could make money? — Bill Simmons
- What qualified a 1970s handwriting expert, and what made one better than another?
2:41:21
Best Double Feature
Dirty Harry
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:41:21Read transcript
- All the President’s Men is proposed as a pairing. — Bill Simmons
- Dirty Harry is proposed and favored for giving an exciting, solved fictional counterpart to Zodiac’s unsolvable reality. — Bill Simmons
Mentions across The Rewatchables
Double Feature
The Silence of the Lambs
The Rewatchables · aired October 15, 2024
Manhunter (two preferences); Zodiac (another pick)
Approx. transcript time · 02:02:23Read transcript
Source 1