The informant notified us that you made certain statementsZodiac · 2007 — Chapter 17 of 30 · 5'05" · C1
Police Question Arthur Leigh Allen, Explained: the whole point
Detectives work through an informant's claims, item by item, trying to catch a suspect in a lie. He explains every detail — the dive trip, the bloody knives, the hand he writes with — and then stonewalls: "I'm not the Zodiac. And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you."
What happens
Acting on an informant's tip, two investigators question Arthur Leigh Allen. They walk him through the Salt Point dive trip, the knives in his car, his left-handedness, and the Riverside killing, while he offers an explanation for each. When the talk turns to a favorite novel about hunting men, he grows almost eager.
Listen for
look forward tothe whole pointtake a look atwarrant further investigation
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Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
the whole point
the central idea or purpose
Allen 谈起《最危险的游戏》，说人是最危险的猎物，并说这就是整篇故事的核心，用这句话给自己的兴趣下定义。
The whole point of the exercise is to stay calm.
Also in this scene
- look forward to
to await something with pleasure
- take a look at
to look at something
- warrant further investigation
to be serious enough to deserve more investigation
Everything marked in this scene
44 notes across 76 lines
If they're true, they're quite incriminating.Do you recall having any such conversation?weak form
Do you recall having any such conversation?present perfect question
-No. -Have you ever read or heard anything about the Zodiac?But I didn't follow it after those first reports.-Why not? -Too morbid. I...No, but it was right after the murder at the lake.flap
No, but it was right after the murder at the lake.That would be great, Arthur.Leigh. Nobody calls me Arthur.Also, that day when I came home, my neighbor saw me.He died a week or so afterwards.Heart attack. So I didn't think to call to follow up.Maybe Bill saw them and called the other officer on me.Well, we'll be checking in on that.Well, I guess I was there around that time.You can't write with both hands?My teachers tried to make me when I was a kid, but I couldn't.make someone do something
My teachers tried to make me when I was a kid, but I couldn't.That is horrible. That is... That's a horrible thing to say.So, you weren't angry about being fired from Valley Springs for touching your students?passive gerund
So, you weren't angry about being fired from Valley Springs for touching your students?And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you.unreal conditional
And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you.It was a Christmas gift from my mother two years ago.That's very sweet.But I couldn't be positive.relative clause
It's about this man who waits for people to get shipwrecked on this island.Because he was tired of hunting animals, he hunted the people for the challenge.And man is the most dangerous animal of all?the central idea or purpose
That's the whole point of the story.Or, at least, that's what I told Phil.-Thanks for your time. -I'm willing to help in any way possible.weak form
-Thanks for your time. -I'm willing to help in any way possible.to await something with pleasure
I look forward to the daywhen police officers are no longer referred to as pigs.when police officers are no longer referred to as pigs.We'll be in touch.liaison
We'll be in touch.to be serious enough to deserve more investigation
So does anyone think this suspect warrants further investigation?to look at something
We'd like you to take a look at them.would like someone to do something
We'd like you to take a look at them.Are you going to arrest him?Police Question Arthur Leigh Allen, explained
What's really going on
This is the film's longest face-to-face look at its prime suspect, and it never resolves into proof. The investigators do the work carefully, matching the informant's claims to small facts, and the suspect answers with a calm that could be innocence or control. He agrees that "man is the most dangerous animal of all" is the point of a book he loved, then closes the door with "I'm not the Zodiac. And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you." Nothing he says can be used, and that is the scene's real subject: a case that keeps producing plausible men and no confession. The film lets the audience feel the pull of the theory and the frustration of the missing proof at the same time.
Theme
GuiltThe suspect answers every accusation without ever admitting or denying, leaving guilt unresolved.
IdentityA name, a watch, a favorite book and handwriting all point at a man who insists he is not the killer.
What you'll learn
- They ask if he recalls the incriminating talk; he says no.
- He claims Salt Point diving, a neighbor dead of a heart attack, and chicken blood on the knives.
- He corrects them: Leigh. Nobody calls him Arthur.
- He denies being ambidextrous and says he is left-handed.
Listen for
- Do you — weak form
- right after — flap
- willing to help — weak form
- be in touch — liaison
And if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you.A deliberate non-answer: he refuses to confirm or deny, and turns the interrogation back on the investigators.
That is horrible. That is... That's a horrible thing to say.His reaction to the claim that he threatened schoolchildren, repeating the word as if the accusation itself is the offense.
That's the whole point of the story.He explains the theme of a novel about a man who hunts people, treating the idea with open fascination.
And man is the most dangerous animal of all?The investigator echoes the line the Zodiac used, testing whether the suspect will recognize or defend it.
Questions about this scene
Why do the police question Arthur Leigh Allen?
An informant reports statements he allegedly made about the Zodiac, so investigators bring him in to test the claims against him.
Why does he want to be called Leigh, not Arthur?
He corrects the investigator sharply — nobody calls him Arthur — which is a small way of controlling the room.
What does the watch detail suggest?
The Zodiac's symbol may have come from a watch like his, so the investigators want a look at it, and he says it was a Christmas gift from his mother.
Does the interrogation prove anything?
No. He offers explanations for the knives, the trip, and his handwriting, and the scene ends without evidence strong enough to charge him.
Zodiac · 30 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's Mother
Chapter 1creep someone outDarlene Ferrin's Last Drive
Chapter 2I wouldn't kid youThe Zodiac Confession Call
Chapter 3shed light onZodiac's Cipher Reaches the Chronicle
Chapter 4get any ideasZodiac Attacks the Couple at the Lake
Chapter 5a hell of a get-upZodiac's Lake Berryessa Attack
Chapter 6flag a cabThe Presidio Cab Murder
Chapter 7did inZodiac Claims the Taxi Murder
Chapter 8skip townPolice Bicker Over the Zodiac Case
Chapter 9at a moment's noticeZodiac Calls the TV Talk Show
Chapter 10crack the codeBelli Tries to Catch the Zodiac
Chapter 11What's your angle?Graysmith Cracks the Zodiac Cipher
Chapter 12the more the merrierKathleen Johns Escapes the Zodiac
Chapter 13come out of the woodworkGraysmith Finds the Zodiac's Source
Chapter 14in my gutGraysmith Talks Zodiac on a Date
Chapter 15beat the bushesRiverside Investigators Compare Notes
Chapter 16lost in the shuffleThe Informant Describes Leigh Allen
Watching · Chapter 17the whole pointPolice Question Arthur Leigh Allen
Chapter 18greener pasturesPolice Question Leigh Allen's Mother
Chapter 19home turfPolice Build a Case Against Allen
Chapter 20tore out of herePolice Search Allen's Trailer
Chapter 21holding the bagBill Transfers Out of the Chronicle
Chapter 22fade into a footnoteGraysmith Pitches a Zodiac Book
Chapter 23yesterday's newsGraysmith Talks His Way In
Chapter 24more than just a coincidenceGraysmith Follows the Birthday Clue
Chapter 25tread lightlyGraysmith Chases Rick Marshall
Chapter 26blow overThe Letter That Framed Toschi
Chapter 27put yourself out thereGraysmith Chases the Case at Home
Chapter 28get it in your headGraysmith Meets the Theater Owner
Chapter 29the date that didn't endLinda Recalls the Painting Party
Chapter 30cancel each other outRobert Confronts Dave About AllenChapter 17 of 30 · about 66 min to go