Very human character - Possible Spoilers

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2004)

I read a lot of the reviews, and I must say I see a slightly different Detective Dormer than most other reviewers.
To me, the first clue to Dormer's self image is the interview with the teenage kid, when he gives a typical cop speech along the lines of "You can fool your mom, but you can't fool me - I'm way ahead of you and never wrong". We the audience cheer, because we believe in the infallibility of the character created by Pacino. Then, as the movie progresses, more clues are dropped our way, but we continue to root for Dormer because he seems to be less worried about his own career and more worried about the fact that his credibility as a cop is what put a lot of bad guys in prison. Should the internal affairs investigation undermine his integrity, these bad guys will be released and all Dormer's life work will be null and void. In Dormer's view, the IA investigator who is on Dormer's track is merely doing it to further his own career, and is a burocrat getting in the way of real police work.
But then the final piece of the riddle falls in place. Dormer planted evidence to convict a man who he felt to be a killer. Think about it: How the hell could he have "known" that this guy was the killer? Who does he think he is? God? So, is the IA investigator maybe the unlikely good guy here in this sub plot?
True, Dormer did not do what he did for his own advancement - he clearly believed in what he did. While being concerned about being caught out, his only concern is that people who he feels to be killers will be released. However, we must ask ourselves the question: "Do I want this guy being a cop in my town?" Yes, he will be very effective in putting away bad guys, but what if he decides that I am the bad guy, because he thinks he can see into my soul?
All of the above is very subtle, maybe I am seeing something that is not there, but isn't this the genius of director and actor working in such close harmony that all of the above is available for our own discovery, and not rammed down our throats?
Brilliant movie.