The film opens with Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, washing dishes in his organised and structured kitchen. Unusually, there is no dialogue or theme music within this opening sequence. The overriding colours within this scene include whites, greys and peaches, highlighting Somerset as the good and pure character. It also depicts this man as overly methodical, and perhaps dull and lonely; clearly this kitchen has no interference from any woman or child. The lighting is realistic, mostly coming from the window behind the protagonist. Therefore, everything appears slightly silhouetted, creating a foreboding and intriguing atmosphere. Occasionally, pure black objects, such as ornaments, are seen in the midst of the sparse, white kitchen, again reiterating the same feeling. Clearly placed in the foreground, is a chess board (mid-game). This image insinuates that he is a lonely and perhaps dull character, but also demonstrates Claude Levi Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions, often replicated throughout thrillers; the black pieces bad, the white good, and they are in constant conflict and are, in this case, ‘playing a game against one another’. The chess board is also a signifier of intelligence. Throughout this, the diegetic sounds of a television (not in his flat) and sirens, suggest that he lives in a rough and crime-ridden area.
We then cut to a medium close up of Somerset getting dressed for work. The shot, taken from over the shoulder, starts slightly above the waist, and tilts to reveal his blank expression. His clothes are extremely smart and symmetrical, and he takes a great deal of care and accuracy when he is dressing. He picks a piece of fluff from his blazer, which is neatly placed on his already made bed. A close up is used to show his possessions, i.e. a pen knife, badge and hankies, are placed side by side, absolutely perfectly, reinforcing the character’s fastidious and organised qualities, previously mentioned. This sequence as a whole insinuates that perhaps he suffers with a psychological fixation with precision and cleanliness. His clothing are, again, white, grey and black.
After this sequence, a straight cut is used to move to a murder scene, or ‘case’ within Somerset’s job. This scene and cut displays a completely different atmosphere to Somerset’s flat. Its walls are grimy and dirty, suggesting the victims lived in squalid conditions. The chiaroscuro lighting, low key/high contrast, combined with the bloody, stained walls, creates the perfectly unsettling setting for a thriller production. The windows and doors are covered with bars, creating a claustrophobic and caged effect. The flat appears damaged and prison-like. This is the first time we meet Detective Mills, played by a young Brad Pitt. His appearance is somewhat scruffy and relaxed, implying that he, unlike Somerset, has a hedonistic and relaxed view of his job, and indeed life as a whole. Somerset notices the child’s pictures and asks ‘whether the kid saw it’ identifying that Somerset takes a great deal of care and intricacy with his cases, and does not just look for the easy way to ‘close the case’. This obviously makes him unpopular with other, lazy colleagues.
In the external scenes, a blue filter is used, not only to insinuate the dark and dull weather, but to add a dystopian, green tinge to the image, creating a sinister feeling. Again the use of bars is strongly present. The two characters walk down a crowded street, and are filmed using a low angle, tracking shot. The extras, walking directly in front of the shot, help to create realism. When Somerset is talking to Mills, he is filmed at a lower angle, and is slightly in front of Mills, giving him power and authority. The sound of sirens and the police radio, create an intimidating ambiance, showing that this is a heavily crime-ridden area. The exaggerated sound of the rain also emphasises the gloom to the audience.
There is then an ellipsis edit to Somerset, who is in his bed at the end of the day, a bookshelf can clearly be seen in the far corner of the room. This again demonstrates his innate intelligence. He uses the metronome, a device that keeps time, to create order amongst the sirens, alarms, danger and chaos, heard just outside his window. The continuous noise shows this this is a 24 hour crime-ridden city. The phrase “there ‘aint’ no rest for the wicked” would seem highly appropriate for this Psychological Thriller.
Within the transition between this scene and the credits, the screen goes to black, and a sound bridge of thunder is heard, a technique called pathetic fallacy, where it connotes a menacing and ominous atmosphere about to be produced.
Throughout the titles, a metallic sound is used to accentuate their appearance, creating an erratic and disturbing sentiment. The font is industrious and ‘scratched’, creating the same feeling. The music is a re-mix of ‘Closer’ by 9 Inch Nails, industrial rock that is somewhat threatening and intimidating. Moreover, extreme close ups are used to focus the viewer on darting images, such as cutting photograph negatives, black mail notes, slicing fingertips, dirty nails, needles, razors, and ominous, strange journals. These shots are extremely frightening, and disturbed me, personally, to the core. Black, white and red are the most prominent colours used. Black and white again obviously suggests Binary Oppositions; the red connotes blood, death and danger. The titles flicker and move in the midst of this, appearing aggressive and fragmented. Furthermore, the last line of the song “You bring me closer to God’ insinuates death and religion, themes to be reiterated later in the film.
After the title sequence, the film then resumes, with an establishing long shot of an urban, concrete, American city, high-rise buildings, and blue filter, a highly conventional setting for a Thriller. ‘Monday’ appears in the centre of the screen.
ClICK HERE FOR THE OPENING SEQUENCE
We then cut to a medium close up of Somerset getting dressed for work. The shot, taken from over the shoulder, starts slightly above the waist, and tilts to reveal his blank expression. His clothes are extremely smart and symmetrical, and he takes a great deal of care and accuracy when he is dressing. He picks a piece of fluff from his blazer, which is neatly placed on his already made bed. A close up is used to show his possessions, i.e. a pen knife, badge and hankies, are placed side by side, absolutely perfectly, reinforcing the character’s fastidious and organised qualities, previously mentioned. This sequence as a whole insinuates that perhaps he suffers with a psychological fixation with precision and cleanliness. His clothing are, again, white, grey and black.
Throughout the titles, a metallic sound is used to accentuate their appearance, creating an erratic and disturbing sentiment. The font is industrious and ‘scratched’, creating the same feeling. The music is a re-mix of ‘Closer’ by 9 Inch Nails, industrial rock that is somewhat threatening and intimidating. Moreover, extreme close ups are used to focus the viewer on darting images, such as cutting photograph negatives, black mail notes, slicing fingertips, dirty nails, needles, razors, and ominous, strange journals. These shots are extremely frightening, and disturbed me, personally, to the core. Black, white and red are the most prominent colours used. Black and white again obviously suggests Binary Oppositions; the red connotes blood, death and danger. The titles flicker and move in the midst of this, appearing aggressive and fragmented. Furthermore, the last line of the song “You bring me closer to God’ insinuates death and religion, themes to be reiterated later in the film.
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