John Doe - Right or Wrong?

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2003)

With so many reviews on this great movie, I thought I would take a singular track, and examine one character of the film - John Doe.
Kevin Spacey plays John Doe - the serial killer chased by the two detectives. There is a neat twist in the way John Doe is captured, but the real character development comes when he is taken to where "two bodies are buried" at the end of the movie. He requests that only the two detectives accompany him, and they question him during the car ride. This is a fantastic scene, where we are given the opportunity to listen to the reasons why the serial killer murdered his victims.
The intriguing piece of this scene is that the film-makers make a sympathetic case for John Doe, and give Spacey the chance to show off his acting talent. To try and elicit a sympathetic audience response for Doe, after all the horror of the murders and the trawl through his dark alien world, is a tall order indeed. I feel that Spacey does a remarkably job of this, with understated acting and a spaced-out, slightly bored feel to the character - just right for a sociopath who feels he above the moral restrictions of the common man.
The main thrust of the argument is that Sin has become so common-place that we have become numb to it, and indifferent to the every-day horrors that surround us. Doe has taken a stance and his murders will shock us and change this situation - we will puzzle over his seven murders, and look again at Sloth, Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Pride and Wrath. There is a religious under-current to the argument, but Doe accepts that he had carried out the murders, rather than hiding behind the explanation of a external dominant force. He also indicates that Mills (Brad Pitt's character) is very similar to himself, and might descend into murder if there were no rules or laws. Perhaps Mills is meant to represent "everyman", and that there is a tiny piece of Doe in all of us? In fact - this is the only time when Doe becomes animated - as if convincing Mills as to his logic is of importance and worth heated discussion.
Of course, the problem with the above is that Doe uses the ultimate sin, murder, to punish lesser sins. So the argument really makes no sense - but the pacing, camera-work, dialogue and acting of the scene makes for a first-class piece of cinema. I suppose only someone who has the same physiological make-up that Doe has would agree that he is right. There is no reason given as to what made Doe the way he is - he is an almost blank character, showing little emotion or remorse for his murders.

This scene and character interaction is meant to make us consider the level of sin in our society - I think the prevalence of greed, envy, etc is out of control, but has become such a fabric of modern living that there is nothing we can do about it - apart from living your life to your own moral code.