The Triumph of David Fincher

Rating: 10/10 (6 November 2009)

Critics often write or at least used to write that a movie was a triumph. If there has ever been a movie, worth this compliment, it's this one. Not only does John Doe triumph, but the triumph of this film is that it is as clear a case as if it had been worked on by William Somerset himself. It is a unreal world, raining constantly, in every direction only buildings, no nature visible. People live in constant din, dogs live in the living room. FBI-Agents are greasy and being paid off, as are junkies so that the police can hide their illegal methods. Somerset is one who is able to recognize the paradox of this world, but as he sympathizes with apathy he does not react, maybe because he doesn't know how. John Doe eventually starts wicked measures. He seems to combine Somerset's cognition and Mills' zest for action. David Fincher found impressing images for this complex plot and composed them together in a ingenious way. He achieves to tickle the best of the craftsmanship out of Pitt and Freeman. In it's whole appearance the film illustrates how it has been a landmark for the thriller genre, besides "The Silence Of The Lambs", being it's main reference.