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even begins with an animated logo of the distributers-New Line Cinema. The logo works well within any film due to the film reel graphic. That, and the colours used in the logo are representative of thrillers, with black and white-the struggle between good and evil, and the mysterious backlight behind the graphic of the logo is realistic and akin to chiaroscuro lighting which is a common convention of the thriller genre.
The film begins with a sound bridge of police sirens from a black fade to the kitchen of detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), we instantly recognise that he is the protagonist due to his white outfit and white kitchen connoting purity and cleanliness. This also links with his organiszed, almost obsessive compulsive, personality, as he has everything organiszed just the way he likes it and it lacks a homely feel. A binary opposition ins also present in the scene with the chessboard; the black and white opposing each other suggesting the struggle between good and evil, which is another main convention of the thriller genre which the film will include. It also suggests a high level of intelligence for both Somerset and the antagonist, as the two of them need to be equally matched in order for the conflict to be sustained.
The editing for these scenes is rather slow paced which may be connoting the way his life is at home-it is either where he winds down and recovers from work by relaxing, or his work is his life, so his home life is rather sterile and lonely. In the following shot we see he spends a lot of time getting ready, as he does up his cufflinks and straightens his tie in front of the mirror from an over the shoulder medium lose up shot. His OCD nature is again highlighted with the almost militaristic line up of his possessions which he requires for his job, most notably his badge which indicates that he is a detective.
We see in the next shot both his bed and his suit. His bed is as single, confirming that he lives alone and is asingle man, and it’s in an almost perfect state to say he’s just got out of it (again showing his compulsive tendencies), and he then picks a hair off his suit jacket, showing that he not only has obsessive rituals, but he is also a perfectionist. He then turns off a light showing that he is leaving and an ellipsis edit is used, creating a contrast with the next scene, as we as the audience aren’t ‘eased into’ the violent aftermath in the next shot with a fade, as well as creating a contrast with the slow pace of his home life.
Straight away, we know it is a crime scene due to the dead body and the pools of blood. We know that it was a shooting due to the blood splatter on the window. The crime scene is set within an apartment which appears to be in a poor area due to its squalid state. Somerset then begins to inspect the apartment, paying attention to every detail, perhaps causing more work for himself by doing so. This shows that his obsessive, perfectionist attitudes at home carry over to his working life. The use of selective focus in this scene highlights Somerset as the protagonist, as the other detective is left blurred in the background, showing he isn’t as important.
His colleague doesn’t agree with his tendencies, as indicated by him telling Somerset that he cannot wait for him to retire. This lets us know that he is going to retire soon, but also wonder what he is going to do with the rest of his life because his job seems to control his personality and purpose. A new character comes up the stairs, Mills (Brad Pitt) and then a close up of him indicates that he is of some importance. His clothing includes a leather jacket and he is chewing gum, suggesting a more laid back attitude to Somerset. Mills immediately identifies and begins to talk to Somerset with shot reverse shots showing their conversation. In the background behind Somerset metal bars and fences around the windows can be seen, indicating they are in a dangerous area.
There is then an ellipsis edit to the outside of the building where diegetic police sirens and radios can be heard once again. The way in which this is handled, however, makes it seem like a common occurrence. More bodies are then seen being carried out of the building, denoting death. The pathetic fallacy of the rain ties in with this, indicating that bad things are happening and perhaps indicating that a storm is coming. Somerset and Mills are seen walking along the street with the camera tracking their movements. They are both seen at a low angle, connoting authority and dominance, although Somerset is in the foreground of the shot, perhaps showing that he is the more experienced of the two. Realism is added to this scene with the abundance of people walking across the x axis and obstructing the view of the audience. Mills’ movements appear more anxious than Somerset’s in the way he is walking and in his gestures, perhaps due to the fact that his isn’t too focused, as he is new to the area. He also gets knocked into by a lot of people whilst Somerset calmly strolls whilst avoiding passers-by. Mills attempts to show that he is experienced and the right man for the job, but Somerset sees through him, as he has more experience and knows what it takes to be a good detective. He then tries to defend his point of view by stating that he has been working on homicides for a while, but Somerset dismisses this, telling him that the area he worked in contrasts greatly to where they are both currently.
Another ellipsis edit cuts to Somerset in his bed, showing him on is own and that there is little to his life other than his work. Alarms are once again heard, showing that it is a dangerous area and that is also a regular occurrence. He puts down his glasses and in the corner of his room a bookcase full of books is seen; both of these items reinforce the idea of his high intellect, as the chase board in the opening shots also did. The activation of his metronome is then seen in a close up shot and it may serve the purpose of indicating the slow, regular pace of his life. Metronomes also stay in time regardless, showing his OCD nature once again. It is really monotonous just like his life, connoting that his life is the same thing over and over again; his job has taken over his life. The diegetic sound of dogs barking and alarms can still be seen, providing a contrast between order and chaos and showing Somerset’s need for regulation, with the metronome drowning it out. Close ups of Somerset’s face are then seen with the metronome alternating, as if it is his mind ticking.
The screen then goes completely blank and a non-diegetic sound effect of thunder is heard, acting as pathetic fallacy once again and suggesting a disruption in the order of Somerset’s life. The opening credits then begin with an image of a book and the pages turning over. On top of this some industrial music is played (Nine Inch Nails-Close remix) which creates a tense atmosphere. As the names of the credits appear, the chosen font looks to have been scratched on, making it appear eerie, just as the suddenly fast pace of the editing also does. All the images used are spliced together like a montage and show the grubby hands of the character in the scene who seems to be the antagonist. A lot of sharp objects such as a razor are also seen and the antagonist is seen to be cutting off his fingerprints, so no trace is left behind, connoting that he knows what he’s doing and that he’s on the same intellectual level as Somerset, therefore making the film more interesting to watch. He is the opposite to Somerset in the binary opposition of good versus evil and he is clearly the evil aspect, as shown by the use of dark imagery and the fact that Somerset is obviously a detective-the job commonly held by the protagonist in the thriller genre. The opening credits show his progress in an atmospheric fashion and depict him as being psychopathic, especially as he is seen blanking out words and cutting up pictures and removing the identity of people and dehumanizing them by means of drawing over their eyes. Some of the words he blanks out include ‘intercourse’ and ‘transsexual’ showing that he doesn’t approve of this and that he is psychologically disturbed.
The antagonist is seen binding a book together with bandages around his fingertips’ this seems like an abnormal act as he is binding his own journals together when he could simply buy one. The scene ends with him cutting out the word ‘God’ from a dollar bill with the song finished with the only lyrics “you get me closer to God”. This may connote that the antagonist perhaps believes he is doing God’s work and that he is some form of messiah. It ends with a fade and resumes with a long shot with the use of a blue filter and the inclusion of tall office buildings of the city landscape, showing that it is set in an urban area, which is a common setting for thrillers, though we already knew this from the opening .
