Zodiac Page #21

Synopsis: In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr.) become obsessed with learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.
Genre: Crime, Drama, History
Production: Paramount Pictures
  2 wins & 67 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Metacritic:
78
Rotten Tomatoes:
90%
R
Year:
2007
157 min
$33,000,000
Website
3,309 Views


would attach a light to a gun and

shoot people in lovers' lane areas

and would write letters to confuse

the police, that he would shoot

the tires off a school bus and

shoot the kiddies as they came

bouncing out, and that he would

call himself Zodiac.

CHENEY:

Yes.

ARMSTRONG:

And you'd be willing to swear to

this under oath in Superior Court?

CHENEY:

Without any hesitation.

168 OMITTED 168

169 INT. CAPTAIN LEE'S OFFICE -- DAY 169

Toschi, Armstrong and Captain Lee stand around a SPEAKER

PHONE. On the other end is Santa Rosa D.A. JOHN HAWKES.

CAPTAIN LEE:

John, I got Dave Toschi and Bill

Armstrong with me and we think

they've got enough for a warrant.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 123.

169 CONTINUED:
169

CAPTAIN LEE (CONT'D)

They're going to take you through

this. I'm assuming you've got Mr.

Cheney's statements?

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

(through phone)

Yup.

CAPTAIN LEE:

Okay. Guys?

Armstrong opens his notes.

ARMSTRONG:

Suspect is Arthur Leigh Allen,

current residence, Sunset Trailer

Court, Santa Rosa, California.

Physical description - Allen is

similar in height, weight, and

build to a man seen at Lake

Berryessa the day of the

stabbings.

SANTA ROSA D.A.

I understand he doesn't look much

like the San Francisco composite.

ARMSTRONG:

True his height and weight are

sketchy, but lumbering Caucasian

with crewcut is right on-

TOSCHI:

(breaking in)

We never had much confidence in

the composite from the kids - even

the patrolman who saw Zodiac said

he didn't look much like that

sketch.

ARMSTRONG:

Military bootprints - Allen was a

Navy man and wears size 10 1/2, the

same size found at Berryessa-

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

What about guns?

ARMSTRONG:

Cheney says Allen owns several

firearms. We'll list them all in

the warrant.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

And the ciphers?

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 124.

169 CONTINUED:
(2) 169

ARMSTRONG:

Could be code training in the

Navy, and people have seen Allen

with ciphers in the past.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

Really, who?

TOSCHI:

His sister in law, and a guy named

Phil Tucker who he worked with at

a public pool.

ARMSTRONG:

Tucker also told us he had a

conversation with Allen about how

to attach a flashlight to the

barrel of a gun.

CAPTAIN LEE:

John, that's two sources on the

ciphers and two on the flashlight.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

What about his threats on

children?

CAPTAIN LEE:

Suspect worked at elementary

schools and was fired for

molestation in March/April '68 -

could give him motive.

ARMSTRONG:

At the very least, it's home turf;

he'd have knowledge of bus routes,

which both threats centered

around.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

What about the bomb?

ARMSTRONG:

Allen works as a chemist, which

means he knows the compounds

needed to create explosives.

CAPTAIN LEE:

Take him through the geography.

ARMSTRONG:

Vallejo murders - Allen lives in

Vallejo with his mother in her

basement.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 125.

169 CONTINUED:
(3) 169

ARMSTRONG (CONT'D)

Berryessa murder - The day the

kids were stabbed, Allen's

neighbor saw bloody knives in his

truck which he claimed was used to

kill a chicken.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

Does he have any alibis?

ARMSTRONG:

He claimed he did, but has been

unable to produce the names of a

"couple" he supposedly met on the

day of Berryessa-

TOSCHI:

Bottom line is, Allen can't alibi

up on anything - Riverside,

Vallejo, the Lake, or us. Now

tell him about the name.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

What name?

ARMSTRONG:

"Zodiac". Allen wears a watch

that bears both the word and the

crosshair symbol. And he

mentioned Zodiac to Cheney a year

and a half before it appeared in

any letter.

They stare at the phone, awaiting the response. Finally:

CAPTAIN LEE:

John?

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

That's pretty good, guys.

CAPTAIN LEE:

We think so too.

SANTA ROSA D.A. (O.S.)

Let's take it to a judge...

170 EXT. ALLEN'S TRAILER PARK -- DAY 170

September 14, 1972. Toschi and Armstrong get out of their car

along with Santa Rosa D.A. INVESTIGATOR CAMERON and Santa

Rosa DETECTIVE ROY. The four men walk in silence. Reachingthe trailer. Toschi turns to Armstrong.

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 126.

170 CONTINUED:
170

TOSCHI:

You ready?

Armstrong nods. Toschi turns and KNOCKS on the DOOR... It

swings open on it's own. Unlocked.

DETECTIVE ROY:

Mr. Allen, this is the Santa Rosa

Police Department! We have a

warrant to search your residence!

No response. Toschi shrugs and steps inside...

171 INT. ALLEN'S TRAILER -- DAY 171

Dank. Blinds drawn. Nobody home.

DETECTIVE ROY:

I'll check with the neighbors.

He ducks out. Stacks of books and clothes in every corner.

A chattering sound and an animal smell. Rank. Like sh*t.

Toschi wrinkles his nose. Then he sees Caged

squirrels. Stacked on top of the books. Some run

around the trailer free. Toschi tries to step over them.

Cracks a window for the smell. Roy returns.

DETECTIVE ROY (CONT'D)

Neighbor said he tore out of here

about a half hour ago. You think

somebody tipped him?

TOSCHI:

Doesn't matter, we're not leaving

till he comes back. Shall we?

They begin poking around.

ARMSTRONG:

(to Cameron and Roy)

Help me with the bed?

They grab hold of the bed. Moving it to reveal - A WOODEN

DILDO. A HUGE JAR OF PETROLEUM JELLY. Toschi, in the

kitchenette. Checking the fridge. Spotty with food. Opensthe icebox-

TOSCHI:

Jesus!

ARMSTRONG:

What?

(CONTINUED)

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 127.

171 CONTINUED:
171

TOSCHI:

Squirrel.

Armstrong, not understanding. He comes to look - there is a

FROZEN SQUIRREL in the icebox.

DETECTIVE ROY:

Piece of work, this guy.

Armstrong nods. Moves to check the drawers in the living

room. Toschi, searching the closet.

TOSCHI:

Two blue windbreakers.

DETECTIVE ROY:

Like at the Stine scene?

TOSCHI:

(rooting around)

Yup, but no blood - hey, hey black

gloves. Size seven, same as we

found in the cab. He's got thesame shoe size and glove size as Z

- I'm sure it's just a coincidence-

Armstrong, checking the drawers. One, two three- He STOPS.

ARMSTRONG:

Dave, I got a gun. Check that -

two guns. Both .22's. One

automatic, one revolver-

TOSCHI:

That's interesting, because he's

got an M-1 rifle in his closet.

Armstrong goes to look. A .30 cal carbine. A beat.

ARMSTRONG:

For little darlings who come

bouncing off buses?

Toschi smiles. The sound of a CAR OUTSIDE...

172 EXT. TRAILER PARK -- DAY 172

Arthur Leigh Allen, pulling up in WHITE KHARMANN GHIA IDENTICAL

to Bryan Hartnell's. Allen gets out. Lumbering.

Slows when he sees the detectives.

TOSCHI:

Hi, Arthur. Remember us?

FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT 128.

173 OMITTED 173

173A INT. HALL OF JUSTICE -- HOMICIDE UNIT -- NIGHT 173A

Toschi and Armstrong sit in chairs, waiting for the results.

Nervous. Through the glass to Lee's office we see the

Captain talking on the phone. Hangs up. Opens the door.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

James Vanderbilt

James Platten Vanderbilt (born November 1975) is an American screenwriter. He is best known for the films Zodiac, White House Down, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. more…

All James Vanderbilt scripts | James Vanderbilt Scripts

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Submitted by acronimous on April 27, 2018

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