In the beginning, there was darkness...

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 2009)

Without conflict, there is no drama. You have to give this film credit, there's no lack of conflict.
The first dialogue we hear is when the less competent detective tells the extra-competent detective (Freeman) that his question is stupid and he's glad he's leaving the force. That's "envy" speaking, by the way, between members of the same caste, "The Detectives".
Somerset and Mills don't get along; Tracy and David, the Lovers, greet each other at the door with "Hi, loser" and "Hi, idiot". Love, exciting and new...
"sWAT comes before dicks". Every individual branch of "The Force" has a problem of caste with every other branch- the uniforms and dicks have little respect for each other, the dicks and sWAT are battling for precedence, like nerds and jocks, with the jocks calling for the nerds when they find themselves in over their "brawn, no brain" heads. Conflict.
I've seen this film before and I've always been a fan of the comedy moments. I like when Mills takes his tie off the hanger already knotted, when he brings Somerset a full glass of wine (with Somerset's reaction) and when Mills wakes up and finds himself leaning on Somerset. These are the moments when you wonder, was that in the script or did they add it while shooting? Mills gets CLIFFNOTES of the classics with a shout of "Good work, officer!" juxtaposed with "Poetry writing faggot", the multitude of air-fresheners in the "Sloth" crime scene. Can you write that stuff?
The rain and darkness of the cinematography were perfect.
Weaknesses (only 2): Yes, the scene between Paltrow and Freeman was there only to set up the ending. It isn't realistic to tell your husband's partner that you're pregnant before you tell your husband. As real as that may be in a shitworld, it's artificial and plot-serving.
Mills is being set up as some sort of out-of-town wunderkind without any explanation, justification or background. Though Pitt is brilliant, Mills is not and I wonder, how did he ever solve a case back home?
End of weaknesses. Enough with the weaknessess. But did Jonathan Doe kill the dogs, too? Those rambunctious Dobermans?
Kevin Spacey is excellent as the strings-pulling dark messiah; his "Dark Genius" is superior to the "Light Genius" of Freeman which is it's own statement with Jonathan Doe sacrificing his life in the name of Dark Truth. "Light" delays "Darkness" but can't stop it.
The sWAT team was presented as a bunch of faux-macho idiots with all their "stupid authority" posturing and intimidation yelling/swearing which is fine but why weren't they wearing helmets? Was this some vanity on the part of the sWAT actors? "Listen, Mr. Fincher, me and the guys were talking and my girlfriend may not be able to see my face when I yell "Get up, you sack of crap!" if I have a sWAT helmet on. And it's raining, too, and it might be uncomfortable and I gave myself a CREWcut and you won't be able to even TELL, if I have the helmet on, see."