Hey. cool. Se7en. Look! NT

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: : I said no text! But since you HAD to look, he's the script to Seven: : : : : Se7en : : : : 1 INT. OLD HOUSE -- DAY 1 : : Sunlight comes through the soot on the windows, more brown than : : bright. SOMERSET, 45, stands in one corner of this small, : : second-story room. He looks over the ceiling, looks down at the : : worn wooden floors, looks at the peeling wallpaper. : : He walks to the center of the room, continues his study, taking : : his time. He halts, turns to one wall where the current : : wallpaper is torn away to reveal flowery wallpaper underneath. : : Somerset goes to this wall and runs his finger across one of the : : pale, red roses which decorates the older paper. He pushes the : : grime away, brings the rose out more clearly. : : He reaches into his suit pocket and takes out a switchblade. He : : flips the thin, lethal blade free. Working deliberately, : : delicately, Somerset cuts a square around the rose, then peels : : the square of dry wallpaper away from the wall. He studies it in : : his hand. : : 2 EXT. OLD HOUSE -- DAY 2 : : Somerset stands in front of the old home. He looks out at the : : surrounding farms and forests. He ponders something. Birds : : sing. : : MAN (O.S.) : : Is something wrong? : : Somerset does not respond, just stares off. The MAN, 34, wears a : : real-estate broker's jacket and stands beside a FOR SALE sign in : : the muddy lawn. : : MAN : : Is there something the matter? : : Somerset turns to face the man, then looks back at the house. : : SOMERSET : : No. No... it's just that everything here : : seems... so strange. : : MAN : : Strange? There's nothing strange about : : this place. The house'll need a little : : fixing up, that's for sure... : : SOMERSET : : No. I like the house, and this place. : : MAN : : I was about to say. Cause this place is : : about as normal as places get. : : Somerset nods, taking a deep breath. He smiles. : : SOMERSET : : That's what I mean. Strange. : : Somerset looks back to the beautiful landscape. The man does not : : understand. : : 3 INT. AMTRACK TRAIN -- LATER DAY 3 : : Somerset is in the window seat, looking out the window of the : : speeding train, smoking a cigarette. He is near the back of the : : car, away from the few other passengers. : : Outside, farms, fields, small homes and lawns rush by. The : : panorama is dappled by the rays of the soon to be setting sun. : : 4 INT. AMTRACK TRAIN -- LATER DAY 4 : : The train is almost full, moving slower. Somerset has his : : suitcase on the aisle seat beside him. He holds a hardcover book : : unopened on his lap. He still stares out the window, but his : : face is tense. The train is passing an ugly, swampy field. The : : sun has gone under. : : Though it seems impossible it ever could have gotten there, a : : car's burnt-out skeleton sits rusting in the bracken. : : Ahead, the city waits. The sky is full of smokestacks and huge : : industrial cranes. : : 5 INT. AMTRACK TRAIN -- LATER DAY 5 : : The train is passing urban streets below. Slums and smashed : : cars. People stand in groups in the corners. Bleak. : : Somerset's suitcase is now on the window seat. Somerset has : : moved to the aisle. He is reading his book. He looks up from : : the book and rubs his eyes, then looks back to continue reading, : : not once looking out the window. : : 6 EXT. CITY STREET -- NIGHT 6 : : Somerset carries his suitcase outside the train station. The : : city demands attention: cars screeching, people yelling, sirens : : blaring. : : Somerset passes a family of bewildered tourists. A WEIRD MAN has : : a hand on the tourist-father's suitcase. : : It has become a tugging match with the Weird Man shouting, "I'll : : take you to a taxi... I'll take you." Ahead, a group is gathered : : on the sidewalk near two ambulances. People clamor to get a look : : at a BLOODY BODY which lies on the street. : : Policeman try to hold the crowd off. Ambulance attendants : : administer aid to the victim, who convulses. Somerset moves by, : : ignoring it all. He motions for a cab. One pulls up from the : : street's stream of vehicles. : : 7 INT. CAB -- NIGHT 7 : : Somerset throws his suitcase in and shuts the door behind him. : : CAB DRIVER : : (about the crowd) : : What's the big fuss? : : Somerset looks out at the crowd, looks at the driver. : : SOMERSET : : Why do you care? : : CAB DRIVER : : (under his breath) : : Well, excuse me all to hell. : : The driver leans forward, checking it out. The circle of : : spectators shifts suddenly. A man has shoved another man and : : they're really going at it now. The swing at each other and tear : : at each other's clothing. One man's flailing fist connects and : : the other man's face is instantly bloodied. The fight grows even : : more spastic. Policemen try to stop it. : : CAB DRIVER : : Crazy fucks. : : The driver pulls away and the cab rages down the street. : : Somerset watches the parade of neon passing on the avenue. He : : slumps back in the seat and closes his eyes. : : CAB DRIVER : : Where you headed? : : Somerset opens his eyes. : : SOMERSET : : Far away from here. : : 8 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT 8 : : The curtains are closed. The SOUNDS of the CITY are here as they : : will be everywhere in this story. A CAR ALARM is SOUNDING, : : shrill and clear. Somerset's life is packed into moving boxes, : : except for some clothing in a closet and hundreds and hundreds of : : books on the shelves of one wall. Somerset is lying on the bed, : : dressed only in his underwear. : : He reaches to the nightstand, to a wooden, pyramidical metronome. : : He frees the metronome's weighted swingarm so it moves back and : : forth. Swings to the left -- TICK, swings to the right -- TICK. : : Tick... tick... tick... measured and steady. : : Somerset situates on the bed, closes his eyes. Tick... tick... : : tick. The metronome's sound competes with the sound of the car : : alarm. Somerset's face tightens as he concentrates on the : : metronome. His eyes close tighter. Tick... tick... tick. The : : swingarm moves evenly. Somerset's breathing deepens. : : Tick... tick... tick. The car alarm seems quieter. : : Tick... tick... tick. Somerset continues his concentration. The : : metronome's sound seems louder. : : Tick... tick... tick. The sound of the car alarm fades, and is : : GONE. The metronome is the only sound. : : Somerset's face relaxes as he begins to fall asleep. Tick... : : tick... tick... : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : SUNDAY : : 9 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT -- MORNING 9 : : Somerset picks items off a moving box: his keys, wallet, : : switchblade, gold homicide badge. Finally, he opens the : : hardcover book he had with him on the train. From the pages, he : : takes the pale, paper rose. : : 10 INT. TENEMENT APARTMENT -- DAY 10 : : Somerset stands before a wall which is stained by a star-burst of : : blood. A body lies on the floor under a sheet. A sawed-off : : shotgun lies not far from the body. The apartment is gloomy. : : DETECTIVE TAYLOR, 52, stands on the other side of the room, looks : : through a notepad. : : TAYLOR : : Neighbors heard them screaming at each : : other for like two hours. It was nothing : : new. But, then they heard the gun go off. : : Both barrels. : : SOMERSET : : Did the wife confess? : : TAYLOR : : When the patrolman came she was trying : : put his head back together. She was crying : : too hard to say anything. : : Somerset beings walking around the apartment. : : SOMERSET : : Why always like this? Only after the : : fact... this sudden realization, that if : : you shoot someone, or stick a knife in : : them, that person will cease to exist. : : TAYLOR : : Crime of passion. : : SOMERSET : : Yes. Look at all the passion splattered up : : on the wall here. : : TAYLOR : : This is a done deal. All but the : : paperwork. : : Taylor shifts his weight, impatient. Somerset looks at a : : coloring book open on the coffee table. There are crayons beside : : it. Somerset picks the book up, flips through the pages. : : SOMERSET : : Did their son see it happen? : : TAYLOR : : I don't know. : : Taylor closes his notebook, perturbed. Somerset looks at the : : pictures of cute, crudely colored animals. : : TAYLOR : : What kind of fucking question is that : : anyway? : : Taylor walks over and grabs the coloring book to get his : : attention. : : TAYLOR : : You know, we're all real glad we're getting : : rid of you, Somerset. You know that? I : : mean, it's always these questions with : : you... "Did the kid see it?" Well, who : : gives a fuck? Huh? : : (points) : : He's dead. His wife killed him. : : Taylor throws the coloring book back to Somerset and walks. : : TAYLOR : : Anything else has nothing to do with us. : : Taylor leaves, pushing past DETECTIVE DAVID MILLS, 31, who is : : just entering. Mills is muscular and handsome. He looks back at : : Taylor, then around the apartment, a bit disoriented. : : Somerset puts down the coloring book. He stares at the floor, : : showing no reaction to Taylor's tantrum. : : MILLS : : Uh, Lieutenant Somerset? : : Somerset turns to see Mills. : : 11 EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY 11 : : A body bag is carried through a crowd of people outside the : : tenement building. : : Somerset follows the body bag out and Mills follows Somerset. : : They walk towards the end of the filthy block, past a man : : urinating on a car. : : MILLS : : I'm a little thrown. I just got in town : : like twenty minutes ago and they dumped me : : here. : : SOMERSET : : Since we're just starting out, I thought we : : could go to a bar... sit and talk for : : awhile. After that, we'll... : : MILLS : : (interrupting) : : Actually, if it's all the same, I'd like to : : get to the precinct house a.s.a.p. Seeing : : how we don't have much time for this whole : : transition thing. : : Somerset keeps walking, says nothing. : : MILLS : : I need to start getting the feel of it all, : : right? Meet the people. : : SOMERSET : : I meant to ask you something, Mills, when : : we spoke on the phone. I can't help : : wondering... why here? : : MILLS : : I... I don't follow. : : SOMERSET : : All this effort you've made to get : : transferred, it's the first question that : : pops into my head. : : MILLS : : I'm here for the same reasons as you, I : : guess. Or, at least, the same reasons you : : used to have for being here before... : : before you decided to... quit. : : Somerset stops and faces Mills. : : SOMERSET : : You just met me. : : MILLS : : Maybe I'm not understanding the question. : : SOMERSET : : It's very simple. You worked a nice, quiet : : town, but you fought to get here as if your : : life depended on it. I've just never seen : : it done that way before, Detective. : : MILLS : : Maybe I thought I could do more good here : : than there. I don't know. Look, it'd be : : great by me if we didn't start right off : : kicking each other in the balls. But, : : you're calling the shots, Lieutenant, so... : : however you want it to go. : : SOMERSET : : Let me tell you how I want this to go. I : : want you to look, and I want you to listen. : : MILLS : : I wasn't standing around guarding the local : : Taco Bell. I've worked homicide for five : : and a half years. : : SOMERSET : : Not here. : : MILLS : : I realize that. : : SOMERSET : : Well, over the next seven days, do me the : : favor of remembering it. : : Somerset turns and walks away. Mills stands a moment, pissed. : : He follows after Somerset. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : MONDAY : : 12 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT -- EARLY MORNING 12 : : Somerset lies asleep in bed. It is still dark outside. The : : PHONE beside the inactive metronome RINGS. Somerset awakens : : suddenly, startled. He looks towards the phone. : : 13 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- EARLY MORNING 13 : : It is just barely becoming light outside. Mills is wide awake in : : bed beside the sleeping form of his wife, TRACY, 30. Mills looks : : tired. He listens to passing traffic. He covers his eyes with : : his forearm. : : He takes his arm away and sits up, frustrated, sits on the edge : : of the bed. The room is a shambles, filled with moving boxes. : : Light coming through the window glows upon a football trophy : : sticking from one box. : : Large and noble, a golden player stands in frozen motion at the : : trophy's pinnacle. : : Mills looks at the trophy and a fond smile forms on his face. : : The PHONE RINGS. Mills looks towards it. Tracy awakens. She : : looks up with half-opened eyes, a beautiful woman. : : TRACY : : What is it? : : Phone rings. Mills reaches to touch Tracy's shoulder. : : MILLS : : It's okay. : : Mills leans to get the phone. Tracy seems frightened. : : TRACY : : Honey... where are we? : : 14 EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING, ALLEYWAY -- EARLY MORNING 14 : : Somerset and Mills, both wearing badges, walk with OFFICER DAVIS, : : a beefy, uniformed cop. They pass police cars and head into a : : trash strewn alleyway. Davis hands Somerset two flashlights. : : DAVIS : : Everything's like I found it. I didn't : : touch anything. : : SOMERSET : : What time did you confirm the death? : : DAVIS : : Like I said, I didn't touch him, but he's : : had his face in a plate of spaghetti for : : about forty-five minutes now. : : They reach a rusty, side door, which Davis pulls open. : : 15 INT. APARTMENT BUILDING, STAIRWELL -- EARLY MORNING 15 : : They enter a dark, ugly stairwell. : : MILLS : : (to Davis) : : Hold on... you mean you didn't check for : : vital signs? : : DAVIS : : Did I stutter? Believe me, he ain't : : breathing, unless he's started breathing : : spaghetti sauce. : : MILLS : : The point is, whenever you find... : : DAVIS : : Begging your pardon, but the guy's sitting : : in pile of his own shit and piss. If he : : ain't dead, he would've stood up by now. : : Mills is angry, about to speak, but Somerset heads him off. : : SOMERSET : : (to Davis) : : Thank you, officer. We'll need to talk to : : you again, after we've looked around. : : DAVIS : : Yes, sir. : : Davis walks out, eyeing Mills. Mills watches him go. The rusty : : door slams shut behind Davis. It's very dark. Somerset turns on : : his flashlight, hands the other to Mills and starts upstairs. : : SOMERSET : : I wonder what exactly was the point of the : : conversation you were about to get into? : : MILLS : : And I wonder how many times Officer Davis : : there has found a dead man who wasn't : : really dead until Davis was in the car : : calling it in and eating a donut. : : SOMERSET : : Drop it. : : MILLS : : For now. : : 16 INT. APARTMENT BUILDING, HALLWAY -- EARLY MORNING 16 : : Somerset comes from the stairwell, looking down the dark hall. : : At the end of the hall, a door is open. The light of a CAMERA : : FLASH spills out from that room every few seconds. : : Mills and Somerset move on. Somerset takes out rubber gloves and : : slips them on, looking at something on the floor ahead. A yellow : : RECYCLING BIN sits just outside the door. It contains many neat, : : string-bound stacks of issues of READER'S DIGEST. : : 17 INT. APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- EARLY MORNING 17 : : There are lights on in this room. Lamps with dusty shades. A : : few porn mags on a table. Somerset and Mills cross. A couch : : against one wall is piled with yellowed, once white pillows. It : : faces two small televisions, both on with no sound. : : 18 INT. APARTMENT, KITCHEN -- EARLY MORNING 18 : : Somerset and Mills enter, using their flashlights in the dark. : : Mills takes out a handkerchief, covering his nose. ERIC is : : crouched on the floor, putting camera equipment away. : : He's wearing a medical mask over his face. He hoists his bag and : : moves past the detectives. : : ERIC : : Enjoy. : : Eric leaves. Somerset sweeps the room with his flashlight... : : At the stove, each burner has a used pot or pan on it. Food has : : been slopped there and on the adjoining counter-top and sink. : : Used utensils are everywhere, along with empty tin cans and jars. : : Cockroaches swarm. : : The flashlight beam follows a trail of dripped sauces, soups and : : crumbs of food across the floor from the stove to a kitchen : : table. The kitchen table is covered in soiled paper plates which : : hold bits of half-eaten sandwiches, potatoes, beef stew, donuts : : and many other junk foods. : : The kitchen is tiny; barely enough room for three people. The : : kitchen table is at the center of the room. An OBESE MAN is : : slumped forward in a kitchen chair. He is face down dead in a : : plate of spaghetti. : : MILLS : : Christ... somebody phone Guiness. I think : : we've got a World's Record here. : : Mills walks to the dead man, leaning to study, without touching. : : MILLS : : Who said this was murder? : : SOMERSET : : No one yet. : : MILLS : : Then, why are we wasting our time? This : : guy's heart's got to be roughly the size of : : a canned ham. If this isn't a coronary, I : : don't know what is. : : Somerset moves his flashlight beam down the obese corpse, stops : : at the man's feet. Somerset kneels. : : At the obese man's pants cuff, there's a tiny bit of rope : : sticking out. Somerset uses a pen to lift the pants leg. Rope : : is tied around the swollen, purple ankle. : : MILLS : : Or not. : : Somerset stands and steps back. Mills bends to take his place, : : looking under the table and shining his flashlight into the : : corpse's lap. The obese man's bloated hands are folded there, : : bound tightly with rope. : : MILLS : : Still... he could have tied himself up, to : : make it look like murder. I saw a guy : : once... committed suicide, but wanted to : : make sure his family could collect the life : : insurance, right? : : Somerset does not listen. He is focused on the corpse, studies : : the back of the man's head and neck. He runs his pen against the : : back of the corpse's neck, combing the hair upwards. : : There are small circular and semi-circular BRUISES on the back of : : the obese man's head and neck, some hidden under the hair. : : MILLS : : When we found him, he was lying there with : : a knife in his back, so what else could it : : be but homicide? Except, I finally figured : : out... he held the knife behind him... put : : the tip of it in his own back and got real : : close to the wall... then he shoved his : : body backwards... : : SOMERSET : : (irritated) : : Please be quiet for a while, would you? : : Mills looks up at Somerset from below. Somerset remains focused : : on the bruises. : : MILLS : : (sarcastic) : : Oh, yes, sir. Forgive me. : : Mills stands and walks around to the other side of the table, : : where he gets down again. : : MILLS : : There's a bucket here. : : SOMERSET : : What? : : MILLS : : There's a bucket. Under the table. : : Somerset crouches, pulls up the cheap tablecloth on his side of : : the table. A METAL BUCKET sits under the table. : : SOMERSET : : What is it? : : Mills slides under with his flashlight, angling in the confined : : space to look. He is repulsed and pulls back. : : MILLS : : It's vomit. : : Mills stands and backs away, near the refrigerator, not wanting : : to be anywhere near that bucket. : : MILLS : : It's a bucket of vomit. : : SOMERSET : : Is there any blood in it? : : MILLS : : I don't know. Feel free to look for : : yourself, okay? : : Somerset stands, stares at the obese man. He shakes his head, : : perplexed. There is a KNOCK at the door. The detectives look to : : see DOCTOR THOMAS O'NEILL, 52, the medical examiner, in the : : doorway. O'Neill is looking at the ceiling. He flicks the lighs : : switch. No light, so he flicks the switch up and down. : : O'NEILL : : Wonderful. : : O'Neill seems a bit gone. He drops his black bag onto the floor : : beside the corpse. he begins to sort through the bag, surgical : : tools clinking together. : : Mills turns to open the refrigerator. It's nearly empty. : : MILLS : : (to Somerset) : : You think it was poison? : : SOMERSET : : Guessing at this point is useless. : : The trash can beside the refrigerator is filled to the brim with : : empty food containers. Mills begins to poke around with a pen. : : O'NEILL : : You girls have got forensics waiting : : outside. I don't know if we'll all fit : : though. : : MILLS : : There's room. Light's the problem. : : Somerset looks at Mills, then at the space limitations. : : SOMERSET : : Still... two is company here. And, three : : is certainly a crowd. : : (pause) : : Detective Mills, go help the officers : : question the neighbors. : : Mills looks up, not pleased. : : MILLS : : I'd rather stay on this. : : Somerset is looking at the corpse. : : SOMERSET : : Send one of the forensics in on your way : : out. : : Mills does not move. He lifts his flashlight to shine the light : : on the side of Somerset's face. A moment. Somerset looks at : : Mills, the light shining directly in Somerset's eyes. A longer : : moment. Mills switches off the light and leaves. : : O'Neill places both hands on the dead man's head and lifts the : : swollen visage from the spaghetti. : : O'NEILL : : He is dead. : : SOMERSET : : Thank you, Doctor. : : 19 INT. SOMERSET'S CAR -- DAY 19 : : Somerset drives with Mills as the passenger. Heavy city traffic. : : Both stare ahead in silence. Mills is a bundle of nerves. : : MILLS : : You've seen my files, right? Seen the : : things I've done? : : SOMERSET : : No. : : MILLS : : (looking out window) : : Anyway... I did my time on door-to-doors, : : and walking a beat. I did all that shit : : for a long time. : : SOMERSET : : Good. : : MILLS : : The badge in my pocket says "detective," : : same as yours. : : SOMERSET : : I made a decision, because I have to : : consider the integrity of the scene. I : : can't worry whether you think you're : : getting enough time on the playing field. : : MILLS : : Yeah, well, all I want is... : : (pause) : : Just, just don't be jerking me off. That's : : all I ask. Don't jerk me off. : : Mills looks at Somerset. Somerset keeps his eyes on the road, : : but nods slightly. That said, Mills slumps low into his seat. : : SOMERSET : : We'll be spending every waking hour : : together till I leave. I'll show you who : : your friends are, and your enemies. I'll : : help you cut through the red tape and I : : will help you "integrate," as the captain : : puts it. However... : : (pauses, clears throat) : : No matter how much you beg or plead... : : jerking off is something you'll have to do : : for yourself. : : This throws Mills. Somerset has a sense of humour? : : SOMERSET : : Is that clear? : : MILLS : : Okay... sure... It's just that, with my : : old partner, you know... : : SOMERSET : : I just don't think we should have that sort : : of relationship. We'd start quarreling : : over insignificant things. : : Mills lets out a nervous laugh, feels a bit of weight off his : : shoulders. : : MILLS : : Whatever you say, Detective. Beautiful. : : 20 INT. AUTOPSY ROOM -- DAY 20 : : The room is large, cold and clean. Stainless steel and white : : tile. Many pathologists work at slabs. A bone saw screams. : : Mills and Somerset are with DOCTOR SANTIAGO, who stands over the : : obese corpse which is pretty well dissected already. : : SANTIAGO : : He's been dead for a long time, and I can : : tell you it was not a poison. : : Santiago moves to make room for Mills to stand beside him. Mills : : moves up a little, but not much, looking on in disgust. Santiago : : reaches into the man's belly. We do not see. : : MILLS : : Ah, man... how does somebody let himself go : : like that? Look at the blubber. : : Santiago moves something and there is a squashy sound. : : SANTIAGO : : It took four orderlies and me all together : : just to put this body on the table. : : MILLS : : How did the fat fuck ever fit out the door : : of his apartment? : : SOMERSET : : Yes, it's obvious he was a shut-in. Not an : : enviable life, but, maybe he still deserves : : a modicum of respect in spite of that. : : SANTIAGO : : Are you looking here? First... see how big : : this stomach is. And, see the strange : : thing. Stretches. And, here it is : : distended. Look at the size of that, : : because of all the foods. : : MILLS : : I can see what you're pointing at, but... : : SANTIAGO : : Lines of distention across the stomach, and : : parts have ripped open. : : SOMERSET : : (disbelief) : : Doctor, are you saying... this man ate till : : he burst? : : SANTIAGO : : Well, he didn't really burst. Not all the : : way. But, he was bleeding inside himself, : : and there is a hematoma on the outside, on : : the belly. Very large. : : MILLS : : He died by eating? : : SANTIAGO : : Yes. And, there's something else here you : : have to look at and see. : : Santiago goes to root through many jars on a table. Somerset : : walks around the slab, looking down at the obese man's propped : : up, partially shaved head. : : SOMERSET : : These bruises on the victim's head... : : More round and semi-circular bruises have been revealed, all : : about the same diameter as a dime. : : SANTIAGO : : I don't kow what they are yet. They... : : SOMERSET : : They could have been caused by a gun. The : : barrel of a gun... pressed against the back : : of his head. : : Santiago picks up the jar he was looking for, comes to lean and : : look at the obese man's head, nodding again. : : SANTIAGO : : If it was jammed against him hard enough, : : sure. It's possible. Here... : : Santiago gives the jar to Somerset. : : SANTIAGO : : Most of the stomach's food contents are in : : the lab now.... but, these... I found these : : in his stomach too. : : Somerset holds the jar up. Inside are many little pieces of blue : : plastic. They are curled slightly, as if they are scrapings. : : Somerset hands the jar to Mills. Mills shakes it, studying. : : MILLS : : Plastic? : : SANTIAGO : : Why these are in a fat man's stomach, I : : don't know. : : 21 INT. APARTMENT, KITCHEN -- DAY 21 : : The room where the obese corpse was found is now lit by : : fluorescent light. Two forensics, a MALE and FEMALE, are dusting : : for prints. Somerset and Mills are on their hands and knees. : : Somerset holds the jar and touches the linoleum floor. : : SOMERSET : : Same color and texture. : : MILLS : : (to forensics) : : Have you found any plastic scrapings near : : the stove or sink? Near the food? : : MALE FORENSIC : : What do you mean? : : Mills and Somerset continue looking around the floor. : : MILLS : : (to Somerset) : : This doesn't make any sense. : : SOMERSET : : You always have to find one singular thing : : to focus on. There's always one thing, and : : it may be as small as a speck of dust, but : : you find it and focus... till it's an : : exhausted possibility. : : The forensics watch, curious. Somerset is near the refrigerator. : : MILLS : : It could be nothing. : : SOMERSET : : But, why would there be so many pieces in : : his stomach if it were nothing? It must : : have been intentional. : : Somerset stops. There are deep scratches here in the linoleum. : : He fingers the grooves, then takes a piece of the plastic from : : the jar. He holds the piece to the floor, fiddles... fits it : : into one of the scratches. : : Somerset gets off the floor and looks down. These scratches are : : in front of the refrigerator. it looks like they were caused by : : the refrigerator having been pulled away from the wall and pushed : : back into place at some time. : : SOMERSET : : (to Mills) : : Come here. : : 22 INT. APARTMENT, KITCHEN -- LATER DAY 22 : : Mills and Somerset pull the refrigerator, rocking it back and : : forth away from the wall to get a clear view behind it. They : : strain, pull it a few more feet, and release. : : Mills leans to look at the wall behind. Shock. : : MILLS : : Holy shit. : : Somerset comes to look. Behind the refrigerator, there is a : : space on the wall where the dust has been wiped away. In that : : space, the words: ONE IS GLUTTONY. The letters have been : : smeared on in grease. A NOTE is pinned beside them. : : 23 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, CAPTAIN'S OFFICE -- EARLY EVENING 23 : : The captain's office is filled with pictures, books and : : mugsheets. Piles of paperwork abound, yet the office is : : meticulously well kept. The CAPTAIN, 50, sits at his tidy desk. : : He wears a white shirt and conservative tie. : : He's a calm man, but whenever he is not speaking, without fail, : : he clenches his jaw over and over, causing the muscles in his : : neck and jaw to pulse. Somerset and Mills sit before him. : : SOMERSET : : The bruises were caused by the muzzle of a : : forty-five. So, there was a gun against : : his head and he was given a choice. Eat, : : or get your brains blown out. : : Somerset gets up to pace. : : SOMERSET : : He ate his fill, and was forced to continue : : eating... till his body rejected the food. : : the killer held a bucket under him, and : : then kept serving. He took his time. The : : coroner says this might have gone on for : : more than twelve hours. The victim's : : throat was swollen from the effort, and : : there was probably a point where he passed : : out. That's when killer kicked him in the : : stomach. Popped him. : : MILLS : : This was one sadistic motherfucker. : : CAPTAIN : : That seems obvious. : : Somerset picks up a photocopy of the NOTE from behind the fridge. : : SOMERSET : : (reads) : : "Dear Detectives, Long is the way, and : : hard, that out of hell leads up to light." : : It's the murderer's way of announcing : : himself. : : CAPTAIN : : Announcing what? : : SOMERSET : : There are seven deadly sins. Gluttony, : : wrath, greed... : : CAPTAIN : : So what? This victim... : : SOMERSET : : ... envy, sloth, pride and lust. Seven. : : CAPTAIN : : Hey, so gluttony is one of the seven deadly : : sins. But, this was a fat guy. The killer : : may have felt this was the just best way to : : torture him. : : And, writing on the walls happens all the : : time. It's like the fashionable thing to : : do. : : SOMERSET : : One is gluttony. : : The captain is disgruntled, clenching his jaw, looks at Mills. : : MILLS : : This is his stuff. I've been out in the : : cold all day. : : SOMERSET : : This is a premeditated puzzle, and it's : : only the beginning. : : CAPTAIN : : Always working up there, huh, Somerset? : : Big brain's always cooking. : : Somerset sits. : : SOMERSET : : I'm declining this case. I want us : : reassigned. : : MILLS : : Whoa, whoa... what?! : : CAPTAIN : : What's this: "I'm declining this case?" It : : don't work that way. : : SOMERSET : : This can't be my last duty here. It will : : go on and on. : : CAPTAIN : : I know what you're thinking, okay? You : : don't want to get in bed with this every : : night, but it's different now. You're : : retiring. In six days you're all the way : : gone. : : Somerset shakes his head. : : CAPTAIN : : You've left unfinished business before. : : SOMERSET : : Everything else was taken as close to : : conclusion as humanly possible. Also... : : this shouldn't be his first assignment. : : MILLS : : This isn't my first assignment, dickhead. : : What the hell? : : Mills stands, furious. : : CAPTAIN : : I don't have anyone else to give this to, : : Somerset, you know that. And nobody's : : going to swap with you. : : MILLS : : Give it to me. : : CAPTAIN : : How's that? : : MILLS : : There's nothing that says I have to work : : with him. If Somerset wants out, : : "goodbye." Give it to me. : : The captain considers this. : : SOMERSET : : It's too soon for him. : : MILLS : : (to the captain) : : Can we talk about this in private? : : The captain looks at Somerset, then at Mills. : : CAPTAIN : : That's not necessary. You're in. : : MILLS : : Thank you. : : CAPTAIN : : Go start picking up the pieces. We'll : : shuffle some paper and try to get you a new : : partner. : : Mills looks at Somerset, then leaves, closing the door. Somerset : : seems deflated, staring at the floor. He looks at the captain. : : CAPTAIN : : You win, Somerset. You're out. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : TUESDAY : : 24 EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY 24 : : A newspaper vendor lays out a pile of tabloid newspapers at the : : front of his busy newsstand. : : The papers' headline is: BIZARRE MURDER!, in huge, black print. : : The vendor lays out another tabloid pile. Headline: "EAT OR DIE" : : SAYS GLUTTONY KILLER!!, in big, red letters. : : The vendor throws down a third tabloid stack. SICKENING : : MURDER -- EXCLUSIVE DETAILS INSIDE!, it reads. : : 25 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- DAY 25 : : The office is old, with a single window which faces a billboard. : : TRAFFIC is HEARD from outside. There are moving boxes on the : : floor. Somerset is at his desk with paperwork in two sloppy : : piles. He uses a manual typewriter, filling in a yellow form. : : He types hunt-and-peck, slowly. He finsihes the form and pulls : : it out. There is a knock at the door. : : SOMERSET : : Come in. : : The captain pushes the door and stands in the doorway with a : : PAINTER/WORKMAN at his side. : : CAPTAIN : : Excuse us. We have some business to take : : care of. : : As always, the neatly groomed captain clenches his jaw. : : Somerset lines a new form in the typewriter, starts typing. : : The captain strolls in. Two boxes sit on the floor with : : DETECTIVE MILLS written across them. He picks up one of the : : boxes and sets it on top of the other. : : At the open door, the workman takes a razor blade from his kit. : : He brings it against the writing on the glass of the door: : : DETECTIVE SOMERSET. The workman pushes the razor to start : : scraping the name away, and the razor on glass sounds like : : fingernails on a blackboard. : : Somerset looks up. : : WORKMAN : : Sorry. : : Somerset turns back to the typing, hunt-and-peck. The captain : : watches. The workman continues. : : CAPTAIN : : Have you heard? : : SOMERSET : : (not looking up) : : No, I haven't heard. : : CAPTAIN : : There was a second. : : Somerset stops, looks at the captain. : : SOMERSET : : Already. : : CAPTAIN : : Greed. It was written in blood. : : Somerset thinks about this, then turns to type. : : SOMERSET : : It's none of my business anymore. : : CAPTAIN : : I thought you might want to be filled in. : : SOMERSET : : I'm sure everyone's doing their best. : : CAPTAIN : : Yeah. : : SOMERSET : : Good. : : Hunt-and-peck. The captain's jowls clamp. He steps up to : : Somerset's desk, begins to straighten the two piles of forms. : : CAPTAIN : : Come on. What are you going to do with : : yourself out there? : : SOMERSET : : I'll get a job, maybe on a farm. I'll work : : on the house. : : CAPTAIN : : Can't you feel it yet? Can't you feel that : : feeling... ? You're not going to be a cop : : anymore. : : SOMERSET : : What are you talking about? : : CAPTAIN : : You know. : : Somerset reclines, facing the captain. : : SOMERSET : : Did you read in the paper today, about the : : man who was walking his dog? he was : : attacked, and his wallet and his watch : : were taken. And then, while he was still : : lying unconscious, his attacker stabbed him : : with a knife in both eyes. It happened : : four blocks from here. : : CAPTAIN : : I heard. : : SOMERSET : : I have no understanding of this place : : anymore. : : CAPTAIN : : It's always been like this. : : SOMERSET : : Really? : : Somerset saddles up to the typewriter. : : SOMERSET : : Maybe you're right. : : The captain lays the paperwork down. Both piles are now neat. : : CAPTAIN : : You do this work. You were made for it, : : and I don't think you can deny that. I : : certainly can't believe you're trading it : : in for a tool belt and a fishing rod. : : (pause, walks to leave) : : Maybe I'm wrong. : : The captain leaves. Somerset looks up. He grabs the paperwork : : piles and ruffles them back to their disheveled state. He looks : : up at the workman. : : The workman is looking at Somerset, has a rag in his hand to : : remove the last remnants of Somerset's name. : : SOMERSET : : (angrily) : : Try putting a little elbow grease into it. : : The workman is startled, continues his work. : : 26 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- LATE NIGHT 26 : : There is a dart board on one wall. THWACK -- Somerset's : : switchblade hits the board and embeds. : : Somerset crosses the nearly empty living room and takes the blade : : from the dart board. He walks back to stand in front of the only : : chair in the room. He throws the switchblade. : : It embeds in the dart board. Somerset sits. : : He picks a book off the floor and holds it in his lap. KIDS can : : be HEARD CURSING and playing LOUD MUSIC from outside the : : shuttered window. Somerset stares at the ceiling. He opens the : : book and looks at the pages... stares at the pages... : : He puts the book back down on the floor. : : 27 EXT. CITY STREET -- LATE NIGHT 27 : : Somerset gets out of his car. He walks down the sidewalk with a : : notebook in hand. THUNDER is HEARD. He takes a cigarette out of : : a full pack and lights it. : : He walks along the avenue. Cars race by in the street. People : : walk briskly past. At a public phone, a man shouts curses : : angrily into the phone, then starts pounding the phone box with : : the receiver. A fire engine passes in the street, sirens, horn : : and lights going full blast. : : Somerset starts up a flight of massive stone stairs, past several : : sleeping vagrants. One VAGRANT sits up and looks to Somerset. : : VAGRANT : : Spare me a cigarette? Spare a cigarette? : : SOMERSET : : Sorry, last one. : : Ahead of Somerset, the library looms, a solid, powerful : : structure. : : 28 INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN LIBRARY -- LATE NIGHT 28 : : Somerset and GEORGE, 62, the night guard, enter the vast space of : : the deserted main library. : : The lamps hanging from the ceiling give off a warm, pleasant glow : : over mahogany tables and chairs. To each side of this center : : area are tall bookshelves. Balconies surround the room on all : : four sides; three levels which overlook the center. : : Somerset is happy. This is his element, this peaceful, elegant : : place. George motions to the long, empty tables. : : GEORGE : : Sit where you'd like. : : SOMERSET : : Thanks, George. : : MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) : : Hey there, Smilely. : : Somerset looks up to the top balcony where TWO OTHER SECURITY : : GUARDS and one JANITOR look over the banister. : : SOMERSET : : Evening, gentlemen. : : They all say their hellos. : : FIRST GUARD : : Come on, George. Cards are getting cold. : : GEORGE : : (to Somerset) : : Duty calls. : : George pumps Somerset's hand, then moves to a stairwell leading : : to the balconies. Somerset walks down the main aisle, looks : : around at the shelves and shelves of books. : : George reaches the top balcony and the others sit at a card table : : where a poker game is in progress. : : Somerset puts his notebook down on one table and switches on a : : green banker's lamp. THUNDER SOUNDS. Somerset looks up. : : Rain is beginning to fall on the windows of the high ceiling. : : SOMERSET : : (shouts up) : : All these books, gentlemen... a world of : : knowledge at your disposal, and you play : : poker all night. : : UP ON THE BALCONY : : George has taken a huge BOOM-BOX from a broom closet. : : JANITOR : : We got culture. : : SECOND GUARD : : (dealing cards) : : Yeah, we got culture coming out our asses. : : They laugh. George sets the boom-box against the railing of the : : balcony so the speakers face towards Somerset. : : DOWN ON THE MAIN FLOOR : : Somerset has gone into one bookshelf aisle. Poker table : : conversation echoes from above. Somerset searches books, reading : : spines. He finds one book and pulls it, continues searching. : : UP ON THE BALCONY : : George hits play on the boom-box and turns the volume way up. : : GEORGE : : How's this for culture? : : DOWN ON THE MAIN FLOOR : : Somerset keeps looking for books. From far away come the strains : : of MOZART MUSIC filling the air. High, drifting music, such as : : AIR (On the G string.) Somerset stops, listens. : : He closes his eyes and soaks it in. : : UP ON THE BALCONY : : George sits at the card table, takes out a cigar and lights up. : : He looks to the ground floor. : : GEORGE : : Where'd you get to, Smilely? : : Below, Somerset comes out from the aisle. : : DOWN ON THE MAIN FLOOR : : Somerset looks up at George. : : SOMERSET : : Thank you. : : 29 INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN LIBRARY -- LATER NIGHT 29 : : MUSIC CONTINUES, spinning through the air like a slow, cool : : breeze. : : Somerset walks, surrounded by books, carrying several. He pulls : : another off a shelf and adds it to his pile. : : UP ON THE BALCONY : : George lays down a winning hand. The others toss in their cards : : in disgust. George laughs, spouting cigar smoke. : : Cigar smoke floats up in the air, thinning gracefully. Above, : : rain continues dancing on the ceiling windows. : : DOWN ON THE MAIN FLOOR : : Somerset sits, opens a book on the table and reads. : : 30 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, BEDROOM/LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT 30 : : MUSIC CONTINUES, uninterupted over this scene. Music so pretty : : it is almost sad. Tracy, in a nightgown, sits up in bed, tense, : : She throws off the covers and goes to the door. : : She stands looking into the living room where Mills is at a desk. : : Mills sorts through paperwork and photos with his back to Tracy. : : A basketball game is on the television, but he pays it no mind. : : He sits forward, obviously frustrated, drinks coffee. He does : : not know Tracy is there. : : Tracy watches her husband, concerned. : : 31 INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY, MAIN LIBRARY -- NIGHT 31 : : MUSIC CONTINUES. Somerset has two books open. He opens his : : notebook and brings a pen to bear. Writes: : : SEVEN DEADLY SINS : : GLUTTONY GREED WRATH LUST PRIDE ENVY SLOTH : : He crosses out GLUTTONY and GREED. Somerset picks up one book: : : DANTE'S PURGATORY. Volume II of the DIVINE COMEDY. Somerset : : opens it: : : ------------------------------------------------------------- : : | THE EARTHLY PARADISE | : : |-------------------------------------------------------- /\ | : : | / \ | : : | VII The Lustful /____\| : : | / | : : | VI The Gluttonous /_______| : : | 7 TERRACES OF / | : : | V The Avaricious / | : : | and Prodigal /__________| : : | PURGATION / | : : | / | : : | / | : : | IV The Slothful /______________| : : | / | : : | / | : : | / | : : | III The Wrathful /__________________| : : | / | : : | II The Envious /____________________| : : | / | : : | I The Proud /______________________| : : | / | : : | / | : : | / THE ISLAND | : : | / | : : | / OF PURGATORY | : : | / | : : |_______________________________/_____________________________| : : UP ON THE BALCONY : : George and the guys finish another hand. George looks down at : : Somerset, who is writing in the notebook. George takes up the : : cards and starts shuffling. : : GEORGE : : (down to Somerset) : : You know, Smilely... you're really going to : : miss us. : : George shuffles again, but they flip wrong and a few go off the : : table, over the balcony. : : DOWN ON THE MAIN FLOOR : : Somerset looks up at George, then looks around. : : SOMERSET : : I just might. : : ABOVE : : The cards George dropped are fluttering, flipping downwards. : : 32 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- EARLY EVENING 32 : : The office is dark. Somerset is at his desk, writing: : : DETECTIVE MILLS, YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING BOOKS, : : RELATING TO THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS: : : DANTE'S PURGATORY : : THE CANTERBURY TALES -- THE PARSON'S TALE : : DICTIONARY OF CATHOLICISM : : 33 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- LATER EVENING 33 : : Somerset lays an envelope on top of the two boxes which have : : Detective Mills' name on them. The envelope reads: MILLS. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : WEDNESDAY : : 34 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- MORNING 34 : : Somerset pushes the door open and notices "DETECTIVE MILLS" : : painted on the glass. Rain falls outside. Somerset goes to his : : desk, but stops. All his belongings have been moved to a small, : : temporary desk in the corner. : : Somerset moves to open the top left drawer of the big desk. : : Empty. He goes to the temporary desk and urgently searches : : through the boxes of papers and files... finds what he was : : looking for. He holds a small frame which fits in his palm. : : Inside the frame is a PHOTO of an attractive WOMAN. Somerset : : pops the frame open, looks at the picture, then puts the picture : : in his wallet. : : Somerset sits at the temporary desk. He begins to sort through : : his papers. After a moment, he glances over his shoulder. The : : envelope he left for Mills is gone. : : 35 EXT. UPSCALE CITY BLOCK -- MORNING 35 : : It's raining. At one high-rent office building, many business : : men and women are coming and going in a lunch-hour hurry. Just : : to one side of the building, the CORONER'S WAGON drives out from : : the mouth of the parking garage into the rain. People on the : : sidewalk have to stop to let it cross to the street. At the same : : time, a large Lincoln Towncar turns off the street, heads into : : the bowels of the garage. : : 36 EXT. UPSCALE BUILDING, UNDERGROUND GARAGE -- MORNING 36 : : Many police cars and news vans here, and police men and reporters : : and photographers everywhere. Mills, looking haggard, finishes a : : conversation with a TALL COP by the service elevator. : : MILLS : : ... good. Do it. I'm going back up. : : Tall Cop hurries away as Mills pushes repeatedly on the service : : elevator button. The elevator doors open and Mills steps in. As : : the door are shutting, a COMMOTION is HEARD. Mills stops the : : door and looks out. : : Across the garage, the Towncar is pulling to a stop and reporters : : are rushing to it. FLASHBULBS are FLASHING. : : MARTIN TALBOT, 47, impressive and well dressed, steps out of the : : car and faces the reporters as they start shouting questions. : : In the service elevator, Mills lets the doors slide shut. : : 37 INT. UPSCALE BUILDING, SERVICE AREA -- MORNING 37 : : The service elevator opens to a dark physical plant room. Mills : : exits the elevator and crosses past humming air-conditioning : : vents, dripping pipes and janitor's lockers. To a door... : : 38 INT. UPSCALE BUILDING, OFFICE CORRIDOR -- MORNING 38 : : Mills comes out the service area door into a bright, ritzy : : hallway. This hall and the doors along it reek of money. A few : : cops are standing around. Ahead there's a police line, which : : Mills ducks under on his way to stately mahogany doors. : : 39 INT. LAW OFFICE -- MORNING 39 : : A huge law office. A television is on in one corner, showing the : : news. Windows overlook the rain wet city. Two FORENSICS dust : : for prints, whispering to each other when Mills enters. : : FORENSIC ONE : : (to other forensic) : : ... going to screw it up. I swear... I've : : seen... : : The other forensic clears his throat, getting back to work. : : Forensic One shuts up. Mills notices this, weary. : : MILLS : : How's it coming? : : FORENSIC ONE : : Nothing yet. : : Mills watches them a moment, then turns his attention to another : : part of the office. A leather chair sits in an open area. : : The chair and the carpet under it are covered in a goodly portion : : of brown, dried blood. : : There is a trail of dripped blood from the chair to a large desk. : : On a cleared off section of the desk, a two-armed, counter : : balance SCALE sits, also blood stained. The desk has been : : dusted. Behind the desk, GREED is written on the wall in blood, : : near a modern art painting. : : Mills stands staring at this area. The TELEVISION is HEARD: : : ANCHOR (v.o.) : : (from television) : : ... going cut in live downtown right now, : : where Defense Attorney Eli Gould was found : : murdered in his office late last night. : : District Attorney Martin Talbot is taking : : questions from reporters... : : 40 ON T.V., Talbot comes on screen, a powerful presence, with a gold 40 : : tooth in the front of his mouth. It's from down in the garage. : : A REPORTER (v.o.) : : (from television) : : ... a small conflict of interest here? I : : mean, your prosecutors have lost more than : : a few very high profile cases to Mister : : Gould and his defense team... : : TALBOT (v.o.) : : (from television) : : Now, that's ridiculous to the point of : : almost being offensive. There's no : : conflict of interest whatsoever, and any : : claim that there would be, or could be, is : : irresponsible. : : Other reporters begin to shout questions, but Talbot's not done. : : TALBOT (v.o.) : : Now, hold on... I want to address that. : : I've just come from a meeting with law : : enforcement officials, and they've assured : : me they put their best people on this : : thing. : : Mills turns to looks at Talbot on the screen. : : TALBOT (v.o.) : : You just wait and see how quickly we get a : : handle on it. This will be the very : : definition of swift justice. : : Mills walks to turn the t.v. off. : : MILLS : : (quietly to t.v.) : : Shut the fuck up. : : He turns and looks to see the forensics looking at him. The : : forensics look away. : : Mills walks away from the t.v., to a picture frame on the floor. : : The frame has been placed specifically in the center of the room, : : facing the doors. : : It is a photo if a falsely pretty, middle-aged woman, smiling and : : wearing pearls. On the glass of the frame, two circles have been : : drawn with blood around the woman's eyes. : : Mills sits on the floor, stares at the photo. : : 41 INT. MILLS' CAR -- MORNING 41 : : Mills gets in and slams the door. He is alone with the sound of : : the rain. He wipes water from his face and looks at his tired : : eyes in the rear view mirror. He leans over to the glove : : compartment and takes out two newly purchased paperbacks: The : : Canterbury Tales and Dante's Purgatory. : : Mills makes a face and opens Dante's Purgatory to a bookmark. He : : rests the book on the steering wheel. He reads. : : He bites his lip, leaning close to the words. : : He is really concentrating, mouths some of the words to himself. : : He finally shakes his head and closes the book, not understanding : : a word of it. Pause. He starts pounding the book against the : : steering wheel with all his might. : : MILLS : : Fucking, Dante, goddamn, poetry-writing, : : faggot motherfucker... : : Mills throws the book against the windshield, then puts his head : : back and closes his eyes, trying to calm. A long moment. Quiet. : : BANG, BANG, BANG -- there's a loud BANGING on the window and : : Mills looks up, startled... : : Tall Cop is at the window in rain gear. Mills rolls it rown. : : Tall Cop hands a wet paper bag through. : : MILLS : : Good work, Officer. Good work. : : Mills rolls the window up, rips the bag open. Inside: Cliff : : Notes for Dante's Purgatory and for The Canterbury Tales. : : MILLS : : Thank God. : : 42 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- DAY 42 : : It still rains outside. Somerset sits at the big desk which is : : now Mills'. He fills out form by hand as Mills enters with a ton : : of his own paperwork. Somerset looks up. : : SOMERSET : : (gathers his things) : : Let me get out of your way. : : Mills sets his paperwork on the desk. He is beat. Somerset : : moves to the temporary desk. They both sit and settle in, : : organizing, not looking at each other. : : Both attend to their work. Here are two men, about five feet : : apart, each trying not to acknowledge the other's presence. : : Mills takes his Cliff Notes out, looks to see Somerset is : : occupied, and hides them in a desk drawer. : : Somerset finishes one form, flips it and looks at Mills. Mills : : sorts through photos from the greed murder. Somerset continues : : writing. PHONE RINGS. Both men look at it. Phone rings again. : : SOMERSET : : It's a package deal. You get the phone : : with the office. : : MILLS : : (picks up, into phone) : : Detective Mills here. : : (listens, lowers voice) : : Honey... I asked you not to call me here. : : I'll call you back... : : (listens) : : What? Why? : : Mills is very confused. : : MILLS : : (into phone) : : Why? Okay... okay, hold on. : : Mills clears his throat and holds out the phone to Somerset. : : MILLS : : It's my wife. : : SOMERSET : : What? : : Mills shrugs. Somerset stands, takes the phone. : : SOMERSET : : (into phone) : : Hello? : : (listens) : : Yes, well... it's nice to speak to you. : : (listens) : : Well, I appreciate the thought... but... : : (listens) : : Then, I guess I'd be delighted. Thank you : : very much. Yes... goodbye. : : Somerset hangs up, shakes his head. : : MILLS : : Well? : : SOMERSET : : I'm invited to have a late supper at your : : house. And, I accept. : : MILLS : : How's that? : : SOMERSET : : Tonight. : : Mills is lost. Somerset goes to sit back down. : : MILLS : : I don't even know if I'm having dinner : : there tonight. : : 43 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM/KITCHENETTE -- NIGHT 43 : : Food is cooking on the stove. Tracy is in the living room area : : carefully setting the table with good silver and china. : : The door the the apartment is HEARD OPENING and CLOSING. Mills : : and Somerset come down a short hallway. Mills carries a brand : : new briefcase. : : TRACY : : Hello, men. You made it. : : MILLS : : Hi, honey. : : Mills gives Tracy a kiss, then presents Somerset. : : MILLS : : I'd like you to meet Somerset. : : SOMERSET : : Hello. : : Somerset shakes Tracy's hand lightly. : : TRACY : : It's nice to meet you. My husband has told : : me a lot about you... except your first : : name. : : SOMERSET : : Oh... um, William. : : TRACY : : It's a nice name. William, I'd like you to : : meet David. : : (to Mills) : : David... William. : : Mills smiles and nods this off, heading across the room. : : MILLS : : Great... I'm, uh, just going to put these : : things away. : : Mills moves to the adjoining bedroom. Somerset stands with his : : hands folded in front of him. : : SOMERSET : : It smells good. : : TRACY : : What? Oh, yes. I mean, thank you. : : (motions to the table) : : Please, sit down. : : Somerset takes off his jacket. Tracy goes to check on the food. : : TRACY : : You can put that over on the couch. You'll : : have to excuse all the mess. We're still : : unpacking. : : Somerset notices something on Mills' desk. It's a medal, in a : : small, clear case amongst the papers and pens. : : SOMERSET : : I hear you and Mills were high school : : sweethearts. : : TRACY : : High school and college, yes. Pretty : : hokey, huh? I knew on our first date this : : was the man I was going to marry. God... : : he was the funniest man I'd ever met. : : SOMERSET : : Really? : : Somerset has to think about that one for a second. He picks the : : medal up: a medal for valor from the Police Department. : : SOMERSET : : Well, it's rare these days... that kind of : : commitment. : : He puts the medal down. Tracy is looking at the gun strapped : : under Somerset's arm as Somerset starts to unstrap it. : : SOMERSET : : (about the gun) : : Don't worry. I don't wear it at the dinner : : table. : : TRACY : : No matter how often I see guns, I still : : can't get used to them. : : Somerset lays the gun with his jacket. : : SOMERSET : : Same here. : : Tracy smiles. Somerset goes to the table and transfers a small : : notebook from his breast pocket to his pants pocket. A piece of : : paper falls to the floor, closer to Tracy. : : TRACY : : Anyway... what girl wouldn't want the : : captain of the football team as their : : lifetime mate? Here... you dropped : : something... : : Tracy picks it up. It is the pale, paper rose. She looks at it : : as she hands it back to Somerset, who is self-conscious. : : TRACY : : What is that? : : Somerset looks at the rose, then puts it away. : : SOMERSET : : My future. : : Tracy tilts her head, looking at Somerset. : : TRACY : : You have a strange way about you... I mean : : interesting. I'm sorry. It's really none : : of my business. It's just nice to meet a : : man who talks like that. : : (goes back to stove) : : If David saw that paper, he'd say you're a : : fag. That's how he is. : : SOMERSET : : (smiles) : : I guess I won't be showing it to him then. : : 44 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- LATER NIGHT 44 : : A record player on a moving box PLAYS QUIET MUSIC. Tracy, Mills : : and Somerset are eating. Mills has a beeper beside his plate and : : occasionally fingers it absently. : : TRACY : : Why aren't you married, William? : : MILLS : : Tracy... what the hell? : : Somerset pokes at the napkin, thinking. : : SOMERSET : : I was close once. It just didn't happen. : : TRACY : : It surprises me. It really does. : : SOMERSET : : Any person who spends a significant amount : : of time with me finds me... disagreeable. : : Just ask your husband. : : MILLS : : Very true. : : Mills grins, but he means it. : : TRACY : : (to Somerset) : : How long have you lived here? : : SOMERSET : : Too long. : : (drinks) : : What do you think so far? : : Tracy glances immediately to Mills. : : MILLS : : It takes time to settle in. : : Somerset can see it is a sore subject. : : SOMERSET : : Well, you can get numb to it pretty quickly. : : There are things in any city... : : A LOW RUMBLING is HEARD. Plates on the table begin to clatter. : : MILLS : : Subway train. : : The dishes clatter more. Coffee cups clink against their : : saucers. Tracy holds her coffee cup to stop it and smiles at : : Somerset to act like it's nothing, but she is clearly bothered. : : TRACY : : It'll go away in a minute. : : They wait. The rumbling grows louder, knocks something over in : : the sink. Somerset continues eating, fiddles with his food. The : : record player skips, then plays on. The clattering dies down. : : Mills seems uncomfortable. : : MILLS : : This real estate guy... this miserable : : fuck, he brought us to see this place a few : : times. And, first I'm thinking he's good, : : really efficient. But then, I started : : wondering, why does he keep hurrying us : : along? Why will he only show us this place : : for like five minutes at a time? : : Mills laughs lamely. : : TRACY : : We found out the first night. : : Somerset tries to stay straight, but he can't help laughing. : : SOMERSET : : The soothing, relaxing, vibrating home. : : Sorry... : : He laughs harder, covering his mouth. Tracy and Mills laugh. : : MILLS : : Oh, fuck. : : 45 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- LATER NIGHT 45 : : The record player plays another album. Tracy brings over a pot : : of coffee and pours. Mills and Somerset have beers. : : TRACY : : I don't think I've ever met anyone who : : doesn't have a television before. : : That's... weird. : : MILLS : : It's un-American is what it is. : : SOMERSET : : All television does is teach children that : : it's really cool to be stupid and eat candy : : bars all day. : : MILLS : : What about sports? : : SOMERSET : : What about them? : : Tracy brings over a plate of cookies and puts it on the table. : : MILLS : : You go to movies at least? : : SOMERSET : : I read. Remember reading? : : MILLS : : I just have to say, I can't respect any man : : who's never seen "Green Acres." : : Somerset gives a blank stare. Tracy walks across the room. : : MILLS : : You've never seen "The Odd Couple?" This : : is sick. "The Honeymooners?!" : : SOMERSET : : I vaguely recall a large, angry man, and : : someone called Norton. : : Tracy turns the record player down further, then goes into the : : bedroom and shuts the door behind her. : : Somerset and Mills look a the closed door. A long moment. They : : look at each other, then sit for a time. Somerset puts down his : : beer, sighs. He looks around. : : 46 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM 46 : : The only sounds are from the city outside. The living room table : : has been cleared and its surface is now covered with various : : forms, reports and 8" by 10" photographs. Mills and Somerset are : : both standing. Mills guides Somerset through the photos. : : MILLS : : Our guy got into office, probably before : : the building closed and security tightened : : up. Gould must have been working late. : : SOMERSET : : I'm certain. He was the biggest defense : : lawyer around. Infamous, actually. : : MILLS : : Well, his body was found Monday night, : : okay? But, get this... the office was : : closed all day Monday. Which means, as : : long as the gluttony killing was done : : before the weekend, our killer could've : : gotten in here on Friday. He could've : : spent all day Saturday with Gould, and all : : day Sunday. : : Mills picks up one photo and shows it to Somerset. Long shot: it : : shows the greed murder scene. Gould sits dead in the leather : : chair, near the desk where the counter-balance scale sits. : : MILLS : : Gould was tied down, nude. The killer left : : his arms free and handed him a big, sharp : : butcher's knife. See... the scale here. : : Mills pulls another photo. Close up: the two-armed scale. In : : one suspended plate is a one pound weight. In the other is a : : hunk of flesh. : : SOMERSET : : A pound of flesh. : : Mills digs, comes up with a photocopy of a hand-scrawled note. : : SOMERSET : : (reading note) : : "One pound of flesh, no more no less. No : : cartilage, no bone, but only flesh. This : : task done... and he would go free." : : Mills takes out one photo showing the note pinned to the wall : : beside where "greed" is written in blood. : : MILLS : : The leather chair was soaked through with : : sweat. : : SOMERSET : : (nods, grim) : : All day Saturday, and all day Sunday. : : (pause) : : The murderer would want Gould to take his : : time. To have to sit there and decide. : : Where do you make the first cut? There's a : : gun in your face... but, what part of your : : body is expendable? : : MILLS : : He cut along the side of his stomach. The : : love handle. : : Somerset's still studying the photos. : : SOMERSET : : He must have left another puzzle piece. : : MILLS : : Look, I appreciate being able to talk this : : out, but, uh... : : SOMERSET : : This is just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm : : still leaving town Saturday. : : Mills is very tired. He rubs his eyes, then walks to take one : : more photo from his briefcase. It is the photo of the framed : : picture of the falsely pretty woman with her eyes circled in : : blood. : : MILLS : : Gould's wife. She was away on business. : : If this means she saw anything, I don't : : know what. We've questioned her at least : : five times. : : SOMERSET : : And, if it's a threat. : : MILLS : : We put her in a safe house. : : Somerset nods. He puts down the photos he's holding. He begins : : spreading all the pictures out. : : SOMERSET : : Look at these with fresh eyes. Don't see : : what the killer wants you to. Don't let : : guide you... : : While he speaks, Somerset keeps shifting the photos, for example: : : covering the corpse in one with the edge of another. : : SOMERSET : : Even if the corpse is right there... it's : : almost like looking through it. Editing : : out the initial shock. Look at the room. : : In the photos, there's the scale. The note on the wall. Shelves : : of books. The Modern Art painting. : : GREED written in blood. : : SOMERSET : : He's preaching. : : MILLS : : Punishing. : : SOMERSET : : The sins were used in medieval sermons. : : There were seven cardinal virtues, and then : : seven deadly sins, created as a learning : : tool, because they distract from true : : worship. : : MILLS : : Like in the Parson's Tale, and Dante. : : SOMERSET : : Did you read them? : : MILLS : : Yeah. Parts of them. Anyway, in : : Purgatory, Dante and his buddy are climbing : : up that big mountain... seeing all these : : other guys who sinned... : : SOMERSET : : Seven Terraces of Purgation. : : MILLS : : Right. But there, pride comes first, not : : gluttony. The sins are in a different : : order. : : SOMERSET : : For now, let's just consider the books as the : : murderer's inspiration. : : The books and sermons are about atonement : : for sin. And, these murders have been like : : forced attrition. : : MILLS : : Forced what? : : SOMERSET : : Attrition. When you regret your sins, but : : not because you love God. : : MILLS : : Like, because someone's holding a gun on : : you. : : Mills runs his hands across his face, walks to the fridge to get : : beer. Somerset keeps looking at photos and papers. : : SOMERSET : : No fingerprints? : : MILLS : : Nothing. : : SOMERSET : : Totally unrelated victims. : : Mills nods, drinking from a beer. : : SOMERSET : : No witnesses of any kind? : : MILLS : : None. Which I don't understand. He had to : : get back out. : : Somerset sits in a chair, picks up the photo of the wife. Runs : : his fingers over the eyes circled in blood. : : SOMERSET : : In any major city, minding your own : : business is a perfected science. There's a : : public crime prevention course offered at : : the precinct house once a month. The first : : thing they teach is that you should never : : cry "help." Always scream "fire," because : : people don't want to get caught up in : : anything. But a fire... that's an : : evening's entertainment. They come : : running. : : Looking at the wife's photo. : : SOMERSET : : This is the one thing. : : MILLS : : I know. : : SOMERSET : : (holds photo up) : : What if it's not that she's seen : : something? What if she's supposed to see : : something, but she just hasn't been given a : : chance to see it yet? : : MILLS : : Okay. But, what? : : 47 INT. SAFE HOUSE -- NIGHT 47 : : The room is like a hotel room. Mills stands beside the woman : : from the picture, MRS. GOULD. Mills shows her photos from the : : murder scene. The photos have been covered in sections to hide : : the Mr. Gould's corpse. Mrs. Gould is crying. Somerset is on : : the other side of the room, holding more photos. : : MILLS : : I'm sorry about this, Mrs. Gould. I really : : am. : : MRS GOULD : : I... I don't understand. : : Mills helps her flip through the photos. He isn't too keen to : : put her through this. : : MILLS : : I need you to look at each one carefully... : : very carefully. Look for anything that : : seems strange or out of place. Anything at : : all. : : MRS GOULD : : I don't know why... why now? : : MILLS : : Please, I need you to help me if we're : : going to get who did this. : : Mrs. Gould sobs quietly, wipes her tears. : : MILLS : : Anything... anything missing or different. : : MRS GOULD : : I don't see anything. : : MILLS : : Are you absolutely certain? : : MRS GOULD : : I can't do this now... please. : : Mills looks to Somerset, looks at the photos Somerset holds. : : MILLS : : Maybe we better wait. : : Somerset looks at the photos in his hand. These show Mr. Gould's : : corpse in the chair, not covered in any way. : : SOMERSET : : It should be now. There may be something : : we're not seeing. : : MRS GOULD : : Wait. Here... : : MILLS : : What is it? : : Mrs. Gould points at the modern art painting on the wall in one : : photo. The painting is just splattered paint, abstract. : : MRS GOULD : : This painting... : : MILLS : : What? : : MRS GOULD : : Why is this painting hanging upside-down? : : Mills turns to look at Somerset. : : 48 INT. LAW OFFICE -- NIGHT 48 : : Where the greed murder took place. Somerset, wearing gloves, : : reaches to take the modern art painting off the wall. Mills : : near, watching. : : SOMERSET : : You're sure your men didn't move this? : : MILLS : : Even if they did, those photos were taken : : before forensics. : : Nothing on the wall behind the painting. Blank space. : : MILLS : : Nothing. : : SOMERSET : : It's got to be. : : Somerset puts the painting down, resting it on its bottom edge. : : The painting is backed by a thick sheet of brown papers stapled : : into the wooden frame. Somerset points to where the wire's eye : : screws used to be screwed into the frame, and to where it has : : been rescrewed. : : SOMERSET : : He changed the wire to rehang it. : : Somerset takes out his switchblade. Mills is surprised. : : MILLS : : What the fuck is that? : : SOMERSET : : A switchblade. : : Somerset cuts along the edge of the brown paper to get to the : : hollow space between it and the back of the canvas. He cuts out : : the entire sheet. Mills helps pull it away. Nothing. Empty. : : Mills looks at both sides of the paper, then tosses it away. : : MILLS : : Nothing. Damn it! : : Somerset lays the painting face up on the floor. He pokes his : : finger on the painted surface. He brings the flat of his blade : : against the painting, tries to peel some of the paint. : : MILLS : : The killer didn't paint the fucking thing. : : Give it up. : : Somerset pushes the painting away, frustrated. : : SOMERSET : : There must be something. : : MILLS : : We're screwed. He's fucking with us. : : Somerset backs away from the wall, staring at the space where the : : painting hung. There is only a nail. He turns, looking around : : the office, then crosses. : : Mills puts his hands to his temple, furious, picks up a lamp and : : throws it to the floor, venting. : : MILLS : : Motherfucker! : : Across the room, Somerset falls to his knees and pulls open a : : forensics kit. He takes out a fingerprint brush, examining the : : bristles. Mills sees this. : : MILLS : : What? : : SOMERSET : : Bear with me. : : Somerset goes back to the wall where the painting was. He pulls : : over a chair, gets on it and starts brushing near the nail. : : MILLS : : Oh, yeah, sure. You got to be kidding?! : : SOMERSET : : Just wait! : : Somerset brushes with a few wider strokes. He leans close, : : studies the powder residue. Leans closer still. Pause. : : SOMERSET : : Call the print lab. : : 49 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- NIGHT 49 : : Tracy is asleep, dressed, with the lights still on. She stirs, : : then awakens and sits up slowly. She squints from the light, : : sweaty and uncomfortable. She looks around and listens. All she : : hears is traffic. : : 50 EXT. MILLS' APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT 50 : : FROM OUTSIDE, looking into the apartment, we see Tracy come in : : from the bedroom. She sees Mills and Somerset are gone. She : : comes to open a window, then goes to the kitchen area. : : We're still LOOKING IN at her as she starts the dishes in the : : sink. The RUMBLING of the SUBWAY TRAIN is HEARD starting. The : : room begins to rattle, as before. : : Tracy looks out into the living room, ill at ease. : : 51 INT. LAW OFFICE -- NIGHT 51 : : The male forensic from the gluttony murder scene is here. He has : : a magnifying glass which he's using to study a very clear : : fingerprint in black powder on the wall. : : MALE FORENSIC : : Oh, man... : : MILLS (o.s.) : : Talk to me. : : The male forensic bites his lip, still studying. : : Mills and Somerset are watching the forensic who works O.S. : : MILLS : : (to Somerset) : : Just, honestly... have you ever seen : : anything like this... been involved in : : anything like this? : : SOMERSET : : No. : : MALE FORENSIC (o.s.) : : Well, I can tell you, boys... : : The forensic steps down from a stool. Behind him, where the : : painting once was, are fingerprints, clear and distinct. The : : prints have been left, one after the other, to form letters which : : form words: HELP ME. : : MALE FORENSIC : : ... just by looking at the shape of the : : underloop on these, they are not the : : victim's fingerprints. : : 52 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, PRINT LAB -- NIGHT 52 : : Dark. A TECHNICIAN sits before an old computer. The computer's : : green screen shows enlarged fingerprint patterns being aligned, : : compares, and then rejected: whir - click - whir - click - whir - : : click. Mills and Somerset watch, bathed in a green glow. : : MILLS : : He just may be nuts enough. : : SOMERSET : : It doesn't fit. He doesn't want us to help : : him stop. : : MILLS : : Who the hell knows? There's plenty of : : freaks out there doing dirty deeds they : : don't want to do. You know... little : : voices tell them bad things. : : Somerset doesn't buy it. The technician adjusts a knob, then : : turns to the detectives. : : TECHNICIAN : : I've seen this baby take as long as three : : days to make a match, so you guys can go : : cross your fingers somewhere else. : : 53 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, HALLWAY -- NIGHT 53 : : Somerset and Mills come out from the Print Lab. A janitor is : : mopping the hall. The computer is HEARD WHIRing AND CLICKing : : onwards. Somerset sits with a groan on a couch outside the lab : : door. Mills flops beside him. : : SOMERSET : : You meant what you said to Mrs. Gould, : : didn't you? About catching this guy. You : : really want to believe that, don't you? : : MILLS : : And you don't? : : SOMERSET : : (laughs, very tired) : : I wish I still thought like you. : : MILLS : : Then, you tell me what you think we're : : doing. : : SOMERSET : : All we do is pick up the pieces. We take : : all the evidence, and all the pictures and : : samples. We write everything down and note : : what time things happened... : : MILLS : : Oh, that's all. : : SOMERSET : : We put it in a nice neat pile and file it : : away, on the slim chance it's ever needed : : in a courtroom. : : (pause) : : It's like collecting diamonds on a desert : : island. You keep them just in case you : : ever get rescued, but it's a pretty big : : ocean out there. : : MILLS : : Bullshit. : : SOMERSET : : I'm, sorry, but even the most promising : : clues usually lead only to other clues. : : I've seen so many corpses rolled away... : : unrevenged. : : MILLS : : I've seen the same. I'm not the country : : hick you seem to think I am. : : SOMERSET : : In this city, if all the skeletons came out : : of all the closets... if ever hidden body : : were to suddenly rise again, there'd be no : : more room for the living. : : Somerset slumps back, takes out a cigarette and lights it. : : MILLS : : Don't tell me you didn't get that rush : : tonight... that adrenalin, like we were : : getting somewhere. : : Mills sits back on the couch, closes his eyes. : : MILLS : : And, don't try to tell me it was because : : you found something that would play well in : : a courtroom. : : Somerset looks at Mills, who crosses his arms to sleep. Somerset : : puffs the cigarette. : : The computer is heard: whir - click - whir - click... : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : THURSDAY : : 54 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, HALLWAY -- EARLY MORNING 54 : : Mills and Somerset are fast asleep on the couch, leaning against : : each other. People pass and look at them strangely. A man steps : : in front of the couch. He reaches with both hands to slap their : : faces simultaneously. : : It's the captain leaning over them. : : CAPTAIN : : Wake up, Glimmer Twins. We have a winner. : : 55 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, READY ROOM -- EARLY MORNING 55 : : A windowless classroom. The captain stands at a podium in front : : with a white screen at his side. A mug-shot of a man, VICTOR, : : 25, is projected onto the screen from a slide projector. : : CAPTAIN : : He goes by the name Victor, as many of you : : know, and his prints were found on scene by : : Detectives Mills and Somerset. : : FIVE hardened POLICE OFFICERS, four men and one woman, sit in : : chairs facing the captain. The all wear bullet-proof vests with : : the word POLICE spray-painted across them. : : Somerset and Mills sit in back, drinking coffee, still asleep. : : CAPTAIN : : Now, this guy's a real beauty. He has a : : long, long history of serious mental : : illness. According the head-shrinkers, it : : seems his parents gave him a very strict, : : Southern Baptist upbringing, but somewhere : : along the line he dropped his marbles. : : Two of the cops in the front row are talking. : : CAPTAIN : : Hey, you two can shut-up now! : : The two cops separate like huge, embarassed school children. : : CAPTAIN : : Thank you, fuckheads. Now, Victor spent a : : couple of months in prison for the : : attempted rape of an eight year old boy, : : but his lawyer made sure he didn't stay : : long. Before that, he dabbled in drugs, : : armed robbery and assault. : : We've been doing our best to keep an eye on : : him, but he's been out of circulation for a : : while. : : FEMALE COP : : If he disappeared, what do you want from : : us? : : CAPTAIN : : His last place of residence is still in his : : name. A search warrant is being pushed : : through the courts as we speak. : : A red-headed cop, CALIFORNIA, raises his hand. : : CALIFORNIA : : So, have the housing cops walk up and ring : : the doorbell. : : The cops laugh. The captain is clenching his jaw, angry. : : CAPTAIN : : Listen, California. When you go in, if : : Victor isn't home, one of his buddies might : : be house-sitting, so you go in guns first. : : Besides using, Victor deals, and we know : : what kind of crowd he runs with. : : There is some chatter amongst the cops. : : CAPTAIN : : This is what the D.A. has a hard-on for : : right now, Ladies and Germs, so we do not : : question why. : : Mills leans to Somerset while the captain continues the briefing. : : They whisper. : : MILLS : : Does this make it with you? : : SOMERSET : : Doesn't seem like our man, does it? : : MILLS : : You tell me. I'm new in town. : : SOMERSET : : He doesn't have the desire somehow. Our : : killer seems to have more purpose. More : : purpose than Victor could ever conceive of. : : MILLS : : The fingerprints. : : SOMERSET : : Yes. They were there... so, it must be. : : MILLS : : We'll tag along. : : Somerset wants no part of that. : : SOMERSET : : Why would we? : : MILLS : : (smiles) : : Satisfy our curiosity? : : 56 INT. MILLS' CAR -- MORNING 56 : : Mills drives, follows a police van. Somerset rides shotgun. : : Mills seems pumped and ready. Somerset takes two Rolaids off a : : fresh roll and chews them. : : MILLS : : You ever take one? : : Somerset takes out his gun, opens it to check the load. : : SOMERSET : : Never in my twenty-four years, knock on : : wood. I've only ever taken my gun out five : : times with the actual intention of using : : it. Never fired it though. Not once. : : (closes his gun) : : You? : : MILLS : : Never took a bullet. I pulled my gun once. : : fired it once. : : SOMERSET : : And? : : MILLS : : It was my first one of these. We were a : : secondary unit, and I was pretty shaky : : going in. I was still considered a rookie. : : Mills takes a corner, tires screeching. : : MILLS : : We busted the door, looking for this : : junkie, right? The geek just opened fire. : : Another cop was hit in the arm and he went : : flying... like in slow motion. : : (pause) : : I remember riding in the ambulance. His : : arm was like Jello. A piece of meat. He : : bled to death right there. : : A pause. : : SOMERSET : : How did the fire fight end? : : MILLS : : I got him. I got the son-of-a-bitch. : : See, I was doing really good up till then. : : Lots of street busts. I've always had this : : weird luck... everything always went my : : way, but this was wild. : : (pause) : : I got him with one shot... right between : : the eyes. Next thing I know, the mayor's : : pinning a medal on me. Picture in the : : paper, whole nine yards. : : Somerset unrolls the window, feels the air across his face. : : SOMERSET : : How was it? : : MILLS : : I expected it to be bad, you know. I took : : a human life... but I slept like a baby : : that night. I never gave it a second : : thought. : : SOMERSET : : I think Hemingway wrote somewhere... I : : can't remember where, but he wrote that in : : order to live in a place like this, you : : have to have the ability to kill. I think : : he meant you truly must be able to do it, : : not just faking it, too survive. : : MILLS : : Sounds like he knew what he was talking : : about. : : 57 INT. SLUM BUILDING, STAIRWELL -- MORNING 57 : : The five cops from the briefing, fully geared up and ready, : : rifles and handguns out, move quickly up the stairs in single : : file. Somerset and Mills follow, guns out. Somerset is sweating : : bullets. Mills is wild eyed, juiced. : : Crack viles and hypodermic needles on the stairs crunch under the : : cops' heavy boots. : : 58 INT. SLUM HALLWAY -- MORNING 58 : : The cops enter the dank hall. The move cautiously. A man is : : lying on the floor, looking up, helpless, with dead eyes. : : A door opens and a woman peeks out. The female cop points her : : gun and the door slams. California, leading the group, steps up : : to apartment 303. He has a search warrant scotch-taped to the : : front of his bullet-proof vest. : : CALIFORNIA : : (to black cop) : : This is it. Give it up. : : The black cop hoists a heavy battering ram to California. The : : other cops get on both sides of the door. Somerset and Mills : : hang back a few feet, watching their backs. : : BLACK COP : : (points to Mills) : : Cops go before Dicks. : : Many people are sticking their heads out of doors in the hall. : : CALIFORNIA : : Police! Open the door!! : : California brings the ram forward with a splintering THUD -- once : : -- twice -- the door flies open. The cops storm in. : : 59 INT. SLUM APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- MORNING 59 : : The apartment is incredibly dusty. The cops charge down the : : short hall into this room where a bed sits against the far wall. : : California moves up to the bed. Someone lies under the sheets. : : Three other cops move, all training their weapon on the bed. : : CALIFORNIA : : Good morning, sweetheart! : : A blond cop goes into another room. California moves closer to : : the bed, gun up. : : CALIFORNIA : : Get up, now, motherfucker! NOW! : : 60 INT. SLUM APARTMENT, ADJOINING ROOM -- MORNING 60 : : The blond cop enters, gun trained, looks around in confusion. : : The room's tables, chairs and floor are covered with hundreds of : : colorful, plastic air fresheners. : : 61 INT. SLUM APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- MORNING 61 : : Mills and Somerset enter. Somerset looks at the cops around the : : bed, then looks at a nearby wall. His mouth drops in horror. On : : the wall, written in excrement: SLOTH. : : SOMERSET : : Jesus... : : California kicks the bed, enraged. : : CALIFORNIA : : I said get up, Sleepyhead! : : He pulls the sheets off the bed and reveals the shriveled, : : sore-covered form of a man who is blindfolded and tied to the bed : : with a thin wire which has been wrapped time and time again : : around the mattress and bed frame. Tubes runs out from a stained : : loincloth around the man's waist and snake under the bed. : : CALIFORNIA : : Fuck me! : : Mills pushes past the other cops. : : MILLS : : Holy shit. : : The cops recoil from the stench. Somerset steps up, putting his : : gun away. : : SOMERSET : : Victor? : : BLACK COP : : What the hell... ? : : CALIFORNIA : : (to Somerset) : : Check this out, Dick... : : California points with his gun to the end of the man's right arm. : : The hand is gone, severed at the wrist long ago. : : MILLS : : It is Victor. : : SOMERSET : : (points to a cop) : : Call an ambulance. : : The blond cop enters from the other room. : : BLOND COP : : What the fuck is this? : : CALIFORNIA : : Somebody call a hearse, more like. : : The female cop has gone to one wall where a sheet is pinned up. : : She pulls the sheet down. Pinned behind the sheet are fifty-two : : Polaroid pictures; all pictures of Victor tied to the bed, with a : : date written at the bottom of each picture. It is a visual : : history of Victor's physical decay. : : BLOND COP : : What is going on? : : Mills sees the female cop looking at the pictures. : : MILLS : : Hey, California, get your people out. : : Somerset takes out rubber gloves and puts them on. : : CALIFORNIA : : You heard him. Hit the hall, and don't : : touch anything. : : Somerset replaces the sheet over Victor, but not over his head. : : The cops file out and Mills goes to examine the pictures. : : California stays by the bed with Somerset. : : CALIFORNIA : : It looks like he's some kind of friggin' : : sculpture or something. : : Somerset places his finger along Victor's throat. : : MILLS : : Somerset, you... you better look here. : : Mills looks at the photos in awe. Somerset joins him. : : MILLS : : All pictures of Victor tied to the bed. : : (crouches, points) : : The last one is dated three days ago. : : Somerset looks at the first photo. In it, Victor is bound and : : gagged, but he is healthy. : : SOMERSET : : The first one... it's dated one year ago. : : To the day. : : Somerset wipes his pale face. : : Californian stands by the corpse, behind Somerset and Mills. He : : lifts the sheet on the bed to look under it. : : CALIFORNIA : : Mother... : : Mills kneels and lifts the sheet which had covered the pictures : : off the floor. There is an open shoebox underneath. : : MILLS : : What...? : : On the side of the box: TO THE DETECTIVES, FROM ME. : : California leans close to Victor's gaunt, blindfolded face, : : examining with morbid curiosity. : : CALIFORNIA : : You got what you deserved, Victor. : : Somerset leans down beside Mills. Mills looks through the : : shoebox. Inside are plastic, zip-lock bags. : : One contains small clumps of hair. One contains a yellow : : liquid... : : MILLS : : (looking at bags) : : A urine sample, hair sample... stool : : sample. Finger nails... : : (looks to Somerset) : : He laughing at us. : : California is still close to Victor's face, when suddenly : : Victor's lips twist open and Victor lets out a loud, guttural : : bark. : : California jerks back, shouting in fear, falling over a chair to : : to the floor. : : Mills and Somerset reel. They see California on the ground, : : scared out of his mind, pointing. : : CALIFORNIA : : He's alive! : : Somerset and Mills look towards the bed. : : Victor's lips move feebly as he lets out a sick, gurgling moan. : : CALIFORNIA : : He's still alive!! : : 62 EXT. SLUM APARTMENT BUILDING -- MORNING 62 : : A crowd has gathered at the entrance. Mills' car, the police van : : and two ambulances are parked on the sidewalk. : : 63 INT. SLUM HALLWAY -- MORNING 63 : : The cops are in the hall holding neighbors at bay. : : 64 INT. SLUM APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- MORNING 64 : : Three ambulance attendants are at the bed, working on Victor. : : One attendant uses wire cutters to clip Victor's bonds. : : 65 INT. SLUM STAIRWELL -- MORNING 65 : : Mills and Somerset are standing in the middle of one flight of : : stairs. Both are highly agitated. : : SOMERSET : : The way this has gone till now, I wouldn't : : have thought it was possible, but we may : : have underestimated thid guy. : : MILLS : : I want him bad. I don't just want to catch : : him anymore. I want to hurt him. : : SOMERSET : : Listen to me. He's all about playing : : games. : : MILLS : : No kidding! No fucking kidding! : : SOMERSET : : We have to divorce ourselves from emotions : : here. No matter how hard it is, we have to : : stay focused on the details. : : MILLS : : I don't know about you, but I feed off my : : emotions. : : SOMERSET : : He'll string us along all the way if we're : : not careful. : : Mills is looking at the floor, still burning. Somerset grabs him : : by the jacket. : : SOMERSET : : Are you listening to me? : : Mills pushes Somerset's hand off. : : MILLS : : I hear you. : : There is a sudden, brilliant FLASH OF LIGHT and the SOUND of a : : CAMERA ADVANCING. Mills and Somerset look. : : Down the stairs, a REPORTER has his camera up, pointed at them. : : REPORTER : : Say cheese. : : He take another picture, flashbulb flashing. : : Mills goes down the stairs, grabs the reporter, a balding, almost : : silly looking man with thick glasses and wrinkled clothing. : : MILLS : : What the fuck are you doing here? : : The reporter squirms, holds up a laminated press pass on a cord : : around his neck. : : REPORTER : : I have a right, Officer. I... : : Mills shoves him, and the reporter stumbles a few steps, then : : falls to the landing below with a thud. : : MILLS : : That doesn't mean anything! This is a : : closed crime scene! : : Somerset comes to pull Mills back. The shaken reporter stands : : uneasily. : : REPORTER : : You can't do this! You can't... : : MILLS : : Get the fuck out of here! : : The reporter scrambles down the nest flight, out of sight. : : REPORTER (o.s.) : : The public has a right to know! : : Somerset yanks Mills back harder, till Mills sits on the stairs. : : MILLS : : How do those cockroaches get here so quick? : : SOMERSET : : They pay cops for the inside scoop, and : : they pay well. : : MILLS : : (calming) : : Sorry about that... I just... : : SOMERSET : : (sarcastic) : : Oh, it's alright. : : Somerset starts back up the stairs. : : SOMERSET : : It's always impressive to see a man feeding : : off his emotions. : : 66 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- DAY 66 : : Somerset and Mills are with DOCTOR BEARDSLEY. Victor lies inside : : an oxygen tent with tubes running into him. The room is dim. : : DOCTOR : : A year of immobility seems about right, : : judging by the deterioration of the muscles : : and the spine. Blood tests show a whole : : smorgasbord of drugs in his systems; from : : crack to heroin... even an antibiotic which : : must have been administered to keep the bed : : sores from infecting. : : Mills looks into the oxygen tent. : : MILLS : : He hasn't said anything, or tried to : : express himself in any way? : : DOCTOR : : Even if his brain were not mush, which it : : is... he chewed off his own tongue long : : ago. : : Mills winces, moves away from the bed. : : SOMERSET : : There's no way he'll survive? : : DOCTOR : : Detective, he'd die right how of shock if : : you were to shine a flashlight in his eyes. : : Silence for a moment, the the doctor lets out a chuckle. : : DOCTOR : : It's funny to think... he's experienced : : about as much pain and suffering as anyone : : I've encountered... give or take... and he : : still has hell to look forward to. : : He chuckles again, engrossed in some information on a clipboard. : : Mills looks to Somerset like, "this guy's nuts." : : 67 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- DAY 67 : : A blackboard is nailed to the wall. Written in chalk: : : 1 gluttony (x) 5 wrath : : 2 greed (x) 6 pride : : 3 sloth (x) 7 lust : : 4 envy : : Somerset and Mills are at their paperwork covered desks. : : SOMERSET : : ((reading one sheet) : : Victor's landlord says an envelope of cash : : was in the office mailbox each month. He : : says, quote, "I never heard a single : : complaint from the tenant in apartment : : three-o-one, and nobody ever complained : : about him. He's the best tenant I've ever : : had. : : MILLS : : A landlord's dream tenant: a paralyzed man : : with no tongue. : : SOMERSET : : Who pays the rent on time. : : Somerset turns to the typewriter, types. Mills fills out a form : : by hand. He make an error and tries to erase, but the paper : : rips. He curses, crumples the paper and throws it. : : MILLS : : I'm sick of sitting around, waiting for him : : to kill again. : : SOMERSET : : This is the job. It's not an Easter egg : : hunt. : : MILLS : : There must be something in this pile of : : garbage we can follow. I mean, Christ... : : do we have to let this lunatic make all the : : moves. : : SOMERSET : : It's too dismissive to call him a lunatic. : : We can't make that mistake. : : MILLS : : Oh, blah, blah, blah. The guy's insane. : : SOMERSET : : It's a fine line between insane and : : inspired. : : MILLS : : Hey, Freud, what brand of bullshit are you : : shoveling, huh? Right now he's probably : : dancing around his room in a pair of his : : mommy's panties, singing show tunes and : : rubbing himself with peanut butter... : : SOMERSET : : No. : : MILLS : : Sooner or later his luck's goning to run : : out. : : SOMERSET : : No. He's not depending on luck. You've : : seen that. We walked into that apartment : : exactly one year after he first tied Victor : : to the bed, to the day. To the day! : : Because he wanted us to. : : MILLS : : We don't know for sure... : : SOMERSET : : Yes we do. Here... : : Somerset picks up the photocopy of the first note. : : SOMERSET : : This quote... his first words to us. I : : looked it up. It's from Milton's Paradise : : Lost. "Long is the way, and hard, that out : : of hell leads up to light... " : : MILLS : : And so what? : : SOMERSET : : Well, he's been right so far, hasn't he? : : MILLS : : Just because the bastard has a library : : card, it doesn't make him Einstein. : : SOMERSET : : Just, realize... this is not some common : : lunatic. The type of intestinal fortitude : : it must take... to keep a man bound for a : : full year. To connect tubes to his : : genitals. To sever his hand and use it to : : plant fingerprints. He's methodical and : : exacting, and worst of all, he's patient. : : MILLS : : What does all that matter anyway? It's not : : our job to figure him out, is it? All we : : have to do is catching him. : : Something clicks for Somerset. He looks away, thinking. : : Mills watches him. : : MILLS : : What? : : Somerset sits. Ponders, staring off into space. : : MILLS : : What is it? : : Somerset stands back up, takes money out of his pockets. : : SOMERSET : : How much money do you have? : : MILLS : : I don't know... like fifty. : : Somerset picks up the phone and dials, still sifting through his : : own money. Mills doesn't know what's going on. : : SOMERSET : : (to Mills) : : I propose a field trip. : : 68 INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY -- DAY 68 : : Somerset walks through the busy main library, goes to a group of : : computer terminals. Mills follows, wound up. Somerset sits at : : one computer and works the keyboard, hunt-and-peck. : : MILLS : : Somerset... what the fuck? : : Several people turn to shush him. Somerset takes out a notepad. : : SOMERSET : : At the top of the list, we'll put : : Purgatory, Canterbury Tales... anything : : relating to the seven deadly sins. Now, : : what the killer might research. What would : : he need to study to do the things he's : : done? What are his other interests? For : : example... : : INSERT -- COMPUTER SCREEN : : Somerset types. On the screen: SEARCH: JACK THE RIPPER. : : 69 EXT. HOT DOG WORLD -- DAY 69 : : The restaurant's sign reads: HOT DOG WORLD, HOME OF THE WORLD'S : : BIGGEST DOGS. A MAN is trying to give out paper advertisements. : : People walk out of their way to avoid him. : : MAN : : (to people) : : Take one, you stupid fucks! Here... take : : one! It's a fucking coupon! Take it! : : 70 INT. HOT DOG WORLD -- DAY 70 : : Mills and Somerset are in a booth, both on the same seat on the : : same side of the table. They look over their list of books. : : Mills goes to eat a hot dog, but Somerset stops him. : : SOMERSET : : They had about fifty health violations : : during the last inspection. : : Mills throws the dog down, looks at his watch. : : MILLS : : Could you at least sit across from me? I : : don't want people to thing we're dating. : : Somerset watches a GREASY MAN, wearing a black suit, enter. The : : man's hair is slicked back. : : SOMERSET : : Give me your money. : : Mills hands his money to Somerset. : : MILLS : : I'm handing you this, and for some strange : : reason, I have the idea I should know what : : the fuck we're doing. : : Somerset folds the money with his own into the list of books. He : : holds the list in his lap, under the table. Greasy Man comes to : : sit at the table. : : GREASY MAN : : Hey, Somerset. How are you? I didn't know : : this was going to be a menage-a-trois. : : SOMERSET : : It's not a problem. : : GREASY MAN : : Only for you do I do this. Big risk : : here... so I figure we'll be even-up. All : : fair and square. : : Greasy Man has his hands under the table. he gets up to leave : : with his hand in his pocket. He picks up Mills' dog. : : GREASY MAN : : About an hour. : : Greasy Man leaves, eating the hot dog. : : MILLS : : Well, that was money well spent. : : SOMERSET : : Let's go. : : 71 INT. PIZZA PARLOR -- DAY 71 : : Mills and Somerset sit with a pizza before them. : : SOMERSET : : By telling you this, I'm trusting you more : : than I trust most people. : : MILLS : : It's be best if you got to the point, cause : : I'm about ready to punch you in the face. : : Somerset leans closer to Mills, speaks quietly. : : SOMERSET : : It's probably nothing, but even if it is, : : it's no skin off our teeth. The man at Hot : : Dog World is a friend, in the Bureau. : : MILLS : : Him? : : SOMERSET : : For a long time, the F.B.I.'s been hooked : : into the library system, keeping accurate : : records. : : MILLS : : What? Assessing fines? : : SOMERSET : : They monitor reading habits. Not every : : book, but certain ones are flagged. Books : : about... let's say, how to build a nuclear : : bomb, or maybe Mein Kampf. Whoever takes : : out a flagged book has their library : : records fed to the F.B.I. from then on. : : MILLS : : You got to be kidding. : : SOMERSET : : Flagged books cover every topic the Bureau : : deems questionable... communism to violent : : crime. : : MILLS : : How is this legal? : : SOMERSET : : Legal... illegal. These terms don't apply. : : I don't applaud it. : : Somerset takes a bite of pizza. : : SOMERSET : : They can't use the information directly, : : but it's a useful guide. It might sound : : silly, but you can't get a library card : : without i.d. and a current phone bill. : : Mills is starting to warm to it. : : MILLS : : So they ran our list. : : SOMERSET : : If you want to know who's been reading : : Paradise Lost, Purgatory, and say... The : : Life and Time of Charlie Manson, the : : Bureau's computer will tell you. It might : : give us a name. : : MILLS : : Yeah. Some college student who's taking : : English 101 and just happens to be writing : : a paper on Twentieth Century Crime. : : SOMERSET : : Yeah, well... at least we're out of the : : office. We've got pizza. : : MILLS : : How do you know all about this? : : SOMERSET : : I don't. Neither do you. : : Somerset looks up. Greasy Man is entering the pizza parlor. : : 72 INT. SOMERSET'S CAR -- DAY 72 : : The car is parked with Somerset at the wheel and Mills beside. : : They're looking through pages of connected computer paper. : : MILLS : : This is a waste of time. : : SOMERSET : : We're focusing. : : MILLS : : I know, I know... focusing on one little : : thing. : : SOMERSET : : (reading aloud) : : The Divine Comedy. A History of : : Catholicism. A book called Murderers and : : Madmen. : : He hands the sheets to Mills. Mills looks them over. : : MILLS : : (reading) : : Modern Homicide Investigation. In Cold : : Blood. Of Human Bondage. Human Bondage? : : SOMERSET : : It's not what you think it is. : : MILLS : : (reads) : : The Marquis de Sade and Origins of Sadism. : : SOMERSET : : That is. : : MILLS : : (reads) : : The Writings of Saint Thomas Aqu... : : Aquin... : : SOMERSET : : Saint Thomas Aquinas. : : (starts the car) : : He wrote about the seven deadly sins. : : 73 INT. TENEMENT BUILDING, STAIRWELL/HALLWAY -- DAY 73 : : Somerset and Mills walk up the stairs and turn a corner into this : : long hall. Somerset is looking at the computer sheets. : : MILLS : : You're sure you're reading that right? : : John Doe? : : SOMERSET : : That's what it says. Jonathan Doe. : : MILLS : : This is stupid. It'd be just too easy. : : SOMERSET : : We'll take a look at him. Talk to him. : : MILLS : : Sure. Uh, excuse me... are you by any : : chance a serial killer? Oh, you are? : : Well, come with us then, if it's okay. : : They reach a door, apartment 6A. Somerset knocks. : : MILLS : : What are you going to say? : : SOMERSET : : You do the talking. Put that old silver : : tongue of yours to work. : : MILLS : : Who told you about my silver tongue? You : : been talking to my wife? : : Mills knocks on the door, hard. : : MILLS : : This is really lame. : : A CREAK is HEARD O.S. Somerset turns to look towards it... : : A male figure, JOHN DOE, is standing at the stairwell, wearing a : : hat and standing in shadow, looking towards them. Stark still. : : Somerset furrows his brow. : : The John Doe reaches into his coat, lifts his arm, pointing... : : SOMERSET : : Mills... ! : : BLAM -- GUNFIRE SOUNDS, deafening, as a bullet slams into door : : 6A, just missing Somerset as he and Mills hit the floor. : : John Doe fires again... : : The bullet blows a huge hole in the wall, throwing plaster. A : : third bullet follows, just above Mills and Somerset, and John Doe : : is heard running back down the stairs. : : The gunfire's still echoing, ringing, as Mills gets up and : : unholsters his gun. : : MILLS : : Jesus Christ... : : Mills scrambles down the stairwell... : : IN THE STARWELL : : Mills bounds down stairs, turns a corner and leaps down another : : flight. He halts on the landing, listening. John Doe can be : : HEARD still RUNNING, below. : : IN THE HALL ABOVE : : Somerset rolls and takes out his gun. He stands, dazed. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : (from in stairwell) : : What kind of gun was it? : : IN THE STAIRWELL : : Somerset comes into the stairwell. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : (from below) : : Damn it, Somerset... what kind of gun?! : : How many bullets? : : BELOW, IN THE STAIRWELL : : Mills hurries down more stairs. : : SOMERSET (o.s.) : : (from above) : : I don't know. Might've been a revolver. : : Voices echo. Mills loses his footing, falls... : : Mills hits the next landing hard, dropping his gun. : : MILLS : : Fuck! : : Mills gets back up and picks up his gun and keeps going. : : ABOVE IN THE STAIRWELL : : the stairs, breathing hard. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : (from below) : : What's he look like? : : SOMERSET : : Brown hat. Tan raincoat... like a... like : : a trench coat. : : BELOW IN THE STAIRWELL : : ready, moves to peer over the railing, down into : : stairwell's center... : : in shadow, aiming his gun straight up... : : s SHOT is FIRED from below and the bullet is : : ABOVE : : Somerset splinters into a million pieces, sends : : Somerset ducking for cover. : : far below -- the bullet is HEARD RICOCHETING : : BELOW : : waiting as the gunshot echoes. : : MILLS : : (to himself) : : Five... that's five... : : continues down the stairs. : : INT. TENEMENT BUILDING, LOWER HALLWAY -- DAY : : stairs and into a hallway, falling to one knee, : : ing his gun one direction -- empty hallway. : : direction, gun hand shaking, catches a : : glimpse of John Doe just as he disappears around a corner far : : Mills gets up, looking back to the number 2 by : : ooks, shouting back towards the stairwell... : : MILLS : : Second floor! Second floor! : : FOLLOW him, tearing ass... : : rn, full speed ahead, bringing his gun up... : : John Doe's running... : : Mills takes aim... : : Ahead, between John Doe and Mills, a tenant in t-shirt and : : underwear comes out an apartment, looking towards John Doe, : : blocking the line of fire... : : MILLS : : Get down! Move... ! : : The tenant turns to Mills, confused. Mills pushes angrily : : past... : : Ahead, John Doe makes an abrupt halt. A woman tenant is looking : : out her door and John Doe grabs her and throws her into the hall. : : She falls as John Doe shoves his way into her apartment. : : BACK AT THE STAIRWELL : : Somerset comes down the stairs, tired. He runs. : : AROUND THE CORNER, IN THE OTHER HALLWAY SECTION : : Mills reaches the apartment Doe entered, bursting in... : : 74 INT. TENEMENT APARTMENT -- DAY 74 : : Mills enters, gun up. It's a railroad apartment, with all the : : rooms adjoining in a row. At the far end of the apartment, John : : Doe can be seen moving out one room's window onto a fire escape : : just as that room's door is swinging shut. : : Mills charges through the apartment, full on... : : He bashes through the closed door... : : 75 EXT. TENEMENT BUILDING, FIRE ESCAPE -- DAY 75 : : Mills leans out the window over an alleyway. BLAM -- GUNSHOT. : : The window above Mills' shatters and Mills pulls back. : : Mills leans back out, fanning with his gun, searching. : : Below, John Doe runs out the alleyway's mouth and rounds a : : corner, gone. : : Mills curses, scrambling out onto the fire escape, running a few : : steps and then vaulting the rail... crashes down on the roof of a : : car parked below. The windshield cracks. Mills jumps off and : : continues the pursuit... : : MILLS : : (to himself) : : That's six... : : 76 EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY 76 : : Mills rounds the alleyway corner into people packed streets. : : Several people are running, heading several different directions. : : Mills comes to a halt, his focus confused, searching desperately. : : Others run upon seeing his gun. Woman scream and grab up their : : children. Mills can't see far down the sidewalk because of all : : the people. He moves forward... : : He jumps atop a fire hydrant, gripping a street sign for balance, : : trying to see further down the street. : : MILLS' P.O.V. -- There he is! John Doe can be seen, far off, : : moving across the street, through traffic, to the opposite : : sidewalk. : : ON THE STREET, Mills runs, into traffic, avoiding cars, down the : : center line. Angry drivers scream at him. : : Ahead, John Doe glances back, ducking into an alley. : : Mills gets to the other sidewalk, yelling for people to get out : : of the way... : : 77 EXT. CITY ALLEYWAY -- DAY 77 : : Mills comes to this tight alleyway. It's dark, with a long, : : tall, vertical sliver of daylight far ahead. Mills runs... : : Charging hard onwards... : : A two-by-four swings out from a hidden nook along the side of the : : alleyway -- slamming Mills in the face with a THWACK!! : : Mills' gun hits the alley wall and clatters into a puddle. : : Mills hits the dirt, on his back, nose broken and split, face : : bloodied. He cries out, rolling to his side, clutching his face. : : The two-by-four is dropped. John Doe's feet cross a short : : distance. Doe's hand reaches to pick up Mills' gun. (We never : : see John Doe's face.) : : Mills still lies on his side, stunned, spitting blood and : : cursing, when he feels the barrel of his gun against the side of : : his face. Mills freezes. : : John Doe moves the gun slowly across Mills' face, till the barrel : : reaches Mills' mouth. The barrel is inserted between his lips. : : The gun's hammer is pulled back. : : Mills quakes, tries to open his eyes, but he's blinded by the : : blood from his broken nose. For an instant, there is a sudden, : : BRIGHT FLASH of LIGHT. : : After a long moment, the gun withdrawals. From O.S., the bullets : : fall out of Mills gun onto his chest. : : The gun is dropped. John Doe runs towards the sliver of light. : : He's gone. : : Mills lies for a long moment, gasping. At the alleyway's entrance, : : Somerset appears. : : SOMERSET : : Mills... : : Mills rolls, shaken, feeling to pick up the bullets and trying to : : rub the blood out of his eyes with his shirt sleeve. Somerset : : arrives. : : SOMERSET : : Are you alright? : : MILLS : : I'm fine. : : SOMERSET : : What happened? : : Mills gets up, collects his gun and pockets it, then walks past : : Somerset, heading back. : : SOMERSET : : Mills... ? : : Mills starts running. Somerset runs to follow. : : 78 INT. TENEMENT BUILDING, STAIRWELL/HALLWAY -- DAY 78 : : Mills moves from the stairwell, driven, his nose still bleeding, : : heading for apartment 6A. Somerset takes Mills arm, but Mills : : pulls away and keeps going. : : SOMERSET : : Wait... just wait. : : MILLS : : It was him. : : SOMERSET : : You can't go in there. : : Somerset grabs Mills again and Mills shoves him off. : : MILLS : : The hell I can't! We get in there and we : : can stop him. : : SOMERSET : : We need a warrant. : : MILLS : : We have probable cause now. : : Somerset grabs Mills and shoves him against the wall. : : SOMERSET : : Think about it... : : MILLS : : What the fuck is wrong with you? : : SOMERSET : : Think about how we got here! : : Somerset holds the computer paper, now crumpled in his hand. He : : waves it in Mills' face as Mills struggles. : : SOMERSET : : We can't tell anyone about this. We can't : : tell them about the Bureau, so we have no : : reason for being here. : : Mills stops struggling, breathing hard, seething, trembling. : : MILLS : : By the time we clear a warrant someone else : : is going to be dead. : : SOMERSET : : Think it through. If we leave a hole like : : this, we'll never prosecute. He'll walk. : : (pause) : : We have to come up with some excuse for : : knocking on this door. : : MILLS : : Okay... okay... get off. : : Somerset releases Mills. Mills looks around the hall, then goes : : right to door 6A and KICKS IT IN -- the door jam splinters and : : the door swings open to darkness for a moment before swinging : : back, half-shut. : : SOMERSET : : You stupid son of a... : : MILLS : : No point in arguing anymore... : : Mills strides down the short end of the hall, towards a window. : : MILLS : : (pointing back) : : Unless you can fix that. : : Mills stops, looking out the window. It overlooks a weedy, : : overgrown courtyard where a THIN VAGRANT lies asleep on the : : concrete. Mills turns, looking back to Somerset. : : MILLS : : How much money do we have left? : : 79 INT. TENEMENT BUILDING, STAIRWELL -- EARLY EVENING 79 : : On a stairwell landing, Somerset watches the thin vagrant from : : the courtyard talk to a uniformed POLICEMAN who writes on a : : clipboard, taking the statement. : : THIN VAGRANT : : So, I... I noticed this guy going out... : : going out a lot when those murders were : : happening. So... so I... : : The vagrant's clinging to the rail, drunk and out of it. Mills : : is down further on the stairs, high strung, chomping at the bit : : to get this over with. : : MILLS : : So, you called Detective Somerset, right? : : THIN VAGRANT : : Yeah, I... I called the detective. : : Because, because this guy seemed... creepy. : : And... and... : : MILLS : : (urging him on) : : And... : : THIN VAGRANT : : And, one of the murders was over there... : : over... nearby here. I... I called the : : cops... : : The vagrant wipes drool from his lips. Mills comes to grip him : : so he doesn't fall, searching the policemen's face for suspicion. : : MILLS : : I told you the rest. You got it? : : POLICEMAN : : (still writing) : : Yeah, whatever. : : SOMERSET : : Have him sign it. : : The policeman holds the clipboard and pen out to the vagrant. : : Mills takes the pen and guides the vagrant's hand, almost signing : : it for him. : : MILLS : : Great. Is that it? : : The policeman nods. Mills grips the vagrant and leads him down : : the stairs in a hurry, around a bend. Mills looks up to be sure : : they're out of the policeman's sight, takes out a wad of cash and : : shoves it in the vagrant's pocket. : : MILLS : : Go drink yourself happy. : : Mills quickly guides the vagrant on his way, then turns and : : rushes up the stairs, taking them two at a time. : : 80 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- EARLY EVENING 80 : : Mills pushes door 6A open, putting on rubber gloves. He steps in : : with Somerset behind. Somerset turns back to the policeman. : : SOMERSET : : (to policeman) : : Wait outside. : : Somerset closes the door most of the way. Mills hits a switch on : : the wall and a lamp illuminates a desk. The desk is in the : : center of the room, facing them. The room is bizarre, with some : : areas cluttered and others barren. All the walls are painted : : black. All the large, curtainless windows are painted over. : : Somerset puts on his gloves. Mills walks to the desk. : : The desktop is rather tidy. The only blatantly strange thing is : : a set of notches carved into the wooden surface: three notches. : : A candle has been allowed to burn down at one corner of the desk : : and the wax trail goes all the way to the floor. Mills opens the : : middle desk drawer. It's empty except for The Holy Bible. : : Somerset moves along shelves of books, looking at the spines. : : Lots of thick, oversized art volumes. A HISTORY OF THEOLOGY. : : HANDBOOK OF FIREARMS. HISTORY OF THE WORLD. SUMMA THEOLOGICA. : : UNITED STATES CRIMINAL LAW REVIEW. : : At the desk, Mills opens another drawer. It's filled with at : : least forty empty aspirin bottles. He opens the next drawer and : : finds a rosary and several boxes of bullets. : : Somerset comes to look at John Doe's "bed." No mattress. It's : : only a metal frame and springs with a sheet spread across it. : : The sheet is sweat stained and dotted by stains of rust at many : : points where springs have worn through. : : Somerset walks around the bed to a narrow table not far away : : against the wall. The table contains a strange tableau, like a : : mini stage, hand-made of cardboard and pasted Communion wafers. : : A human hand immersed in a jar of liquid is the centerpiece. : : SOMERSET : : (quiet, to himself) : : Victor. : : Above this, on the wall, there's a clutter of pinned up articles : : about the seven deadly sins, pages from art books, pencil : : drawings of Christ, all tight together and overlapping. : : Mills picks up a small piece of paper from a letter holder. It's : : a pink receipt from WILD BILL'S LEATHER SHOP. : : Written: CUSTOM JOB. $502.64. PAID IN FULL. Mills puts the : : receipt back down on the desk. : : Somerset walks to a black door. Opens it. : : 81 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMEN, ROOM TWO -- EARLY EVENING 81 : : Somerset enters. A ceiling light is on. Bare bulb. There are : : bookshelves on three walls, filled with notebooks. Thousands and : : thousands of notebooks. : : Somerset takes one notebook down. It is a thick composition book : : with an unlabeled cover. Inside, the pages are filled with small : : handwritten sentences, thumb-nail sketches and blurry, glued in : : photographs; small photos, seemingly cut from contact sheets. : : the sketches, pictures and writings takes up ever single inch. : : Somerset takes down another notebook and flips through the pages. : : Same as the first, filled to the brim. : : Somerset crosses to another shelf and pulls another notebook. : : Same deal. Somerset looks around. : : SOMERSET : : Jesus. : : 82 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- EARLY EVENING 82 : : Mills moves from the desk to a hall. He tries a light switch, : : but it does nothing. He walks... : : It's dark. A rather long hall. The only light is a red glow : : seeping from under the bottom of the closed door ahead. : : 83 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, ROOM TWO -- EARLY EVENING 83 : : Somerset walks to a 16mm film projector. It sits facing a : : battered white screen. Somerset turns the projector on, backing : : away to switch off the bare bulb above. : : 84 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, HALL -- EARLY EVENING 84 : : Mills reaches the door at the end of the hall. He turns the knob : : and pushes the door open. He's bathed in red light. : : 85 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, BATHROOM -- EARLY EVENING 85 : : Mills enters. He looks around, slowly. Stunned. : : 86 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, ROOM TWO -- EARLY EVENING 86 : : The projector is clattering in the dark, running a piece of film : : through. The film is spliced to run as a non-stop loop. : : Somerset watches the screen, light strobing across him. : : The screen shows a bright image of clouds drifting, with strange : : superimposed angels in flowing robes floating jerkily. It's like : : a weird, old Hollywood version of Heaven. : : The images switch abruptly to fire and tormented souls laboring : : around a pit of molten goo, where more tormented humans squirm. : : Like Heaven, it's a scratched piece of film from Hollywood's : : early days. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : Somerset! : : Somerset is engrossed in the images. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : Somerset... come here! : : Somerset hears him. : : 87 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, HALL/BATHROOM -- EARLY EVENING 87 : : Somerset comes down the hall. : : MILLS (o.s.) : : We had him, damn it. : : Somerset reaches the bathroom where Mills stands looking up at : : the wall. The room has been converted into a dark room lit by : : red bulbs, with strips of film hanging from the ceiling. : : SOMERSET : : What are you talking about? : : MILLS : : We had him. : : There are hundreds of prints on the walls and hanging from drying : : wires. Somerset looks around, trying to understand... : : Pictures of John Doe's victims, alive and dead. Grotesque : : photos, of their pleading faces, and their dead bodies. Close : : shots of eyes, fingers and mouths. : : Mills sits on the closed toilet, throwing something into the : : nearby sink and resting his head in his hands. : : MILLS : : The pass was a fake. : : In the sink -- it's a laminated press pass on a neck cord. : : On the walls, more pictures: of the crime scenes, but from the : : outside looking in. Long shots. Police cars. Ambulances. : : Uniformed officers putting up police barrier ribbons outside : : buildings. The coroner's wagon. : : Somerset stares at them, taking them in, realizing... : : MILLS : : We had him and we let him go. : : In the backgrounds of the pictures: Somerset and Mills. In : : another: Mills crossing the street. In another: Somerset and : : Mills getting out of Somerset's car. : : One photo, close shot, shows Mills and Somerset on the stairwell : : of the building where Victor's body was found. It is the : : picture taken by the balding, almost silly looking reporter. : : 88 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- NIGHT 88 : : A male forensic uses tongs to remove Victor's hand from the jar : : of liquid. He places the hand in a clear plastic evidence bag. : : The forensic walks away with the hand, past a FEMALE SKETCH : : ARTIST who puts the finishing touches on an accurate drawing of : : the balding, almost silly looking reporter who wears thick : : glasses, now known as John Doe. : : SKETCH ARTIST : : You're sure this is him? : : Mills stands over the sketch artist. Two deputy detectives, SARA : : and BILLY, are at work along with two other forensics searching, : : photographing and dusting. : : MILLS : : Just put it in circulation. : : SKETCH ARTIST : : You got it. Tomorrow morning, this city's : : good citizens will be on the lookout for : : Elmer Fudd. : : SARA : : (coming to Mills) : : We can't find anything to hang on to. No : : paystubs, no appointment books or : : calenders. Not even an address book. And, : : you're not going to believe this... : : MILLS : : Keep looking. : : SARA : : It's just... we haven't found any : : fingerprints yet. Not a single one. : : MILLS : : You know, you're right, I don't believe : : you. Keep looking. : : Mills walks away. : : 89 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, ROOM TWO -- NIGHT 89 : : Somerset and three uniformed officers are looking through the : : notebooks on the shelves. Somerset squints at the notebook in : : his hand, shaking his head as he reads. Mills enters. : : Somerset looks up and closes the notebook. : : SOMERSET : : We could use about fifty more men here. : : MILLS : : I'm trying, alright? Just tell me what : : we've got. : : Somerset pauses briefly at Mills' abruptness. : : SOMERSET : : Well, there are at least five thousand : : notebooks in this room, and near as I can : : tell, each notebook contains two hundred : : and fifty pages. : : MILLS : : Then, he must write about these murders. : : SOMERSET : : (opens notebook, reads) : : "What sick, ridiculous, puppets we are, and : : what a gross, little stage we dance on. : : What fun we have, dancing and fucking, not : : a care in the world. Not knowing that we : : are nothing. We are not what was : : intended." : : Somerset turns a few pages. : : SOMERSET : : (reads) : : "On the subway today, a man came to me to : : start a conversation. He made small talk, : : this lonely man, talking about the weather : : and other things. I tried to be pleasant : : and accommodating, but my head began to : : hurt from his banality. I almost didn't : : notice it had happened, but I suddenly : : threw up all over him. He was not pleased, : : and I couldn't help laughing." : : Somerset closes the notebook. : : SOMERSET : : No dates indicated, placed on the shelves : : in no discernible order. It's just his : : mind poured out on paper. I don't think : : it's going to give us any specifics. : : MILLS : : Looking around... I've got a bad feeling : : these murders are his life's work. : : A PHONE is HEARD RINGING in another room. Mills looks. : : 90 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- NIGHT 90 : : Everyone's looking around, and at each other, trying to find the : : source of the RINGING. Mills and Somerset enter, baffled. Mills : : looks to Sara. She shrugs and shakes her head. : : Everyone searches. PHONE RINGS. : : Mills gets on his hands and knees. : : MILLS : : Here... : : Mills crawls under John Doe's "bed." He comes back out with a : : rotary phone. Someone throws him a micro-cassette recorder. : : Mills turns the recorder on, makes sure it's running, then picks : : up the phone with the recorder to the earpiece. : : MILLS : : (into phone) : : Hello. : : JOHN DOE (v.o.) : : (from phone) : : I admire you. I don't know how you found : : me, but imagine my surprise. I respect you : : detectives more every day. : : MILLS : : (into phone) : : Okay, John, let's... : : JOHN DOE (v.o.) : : (from phone) : : No, no, no! You listen. I'll be back on : : schedule tomorrow, even with this setback. : : I just had to call and express my : : admiration. I'm sorry I had to hurt you : : today, but I didn't have a choice. You : : will accept my apology, won't you? : : Mills says nothing, containing his anger. : : JOHN DOE (v.o.) : : I feel like saying more... but I don't want : : to ruin the surprise. : : John Doe hangs up. Mills puts down the phone. : : 91 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, ROOM TWO -- LATER NIGHT 91 : : Mills and Somerset stand in the dark, watching the continuous : : loop projector's strange images of Heaven and Hell. : : MILLS : : You were right. : : Somerset looks at Mills. : : MILLS : : He's preaching. : : SOMERSET : : (nods) : : These murders are his masterwork. His : : sermon to all of us. To all us sinners. : : The door opens and light bursts in. The captain stands there, : : looking them over. : : CAPTAIN : : It's been a long day, kids. Go home. Just : : make sure you sleep with the phone between : : your legs. : : 92 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- NIGHT 92 : : Somerset winds his metronome. PHONE RINGS. Somerset does not : : want to answer it, but does. : : SOMERSET : : (into phone) : : Hello. : : TRACY (v.o.) : : (from phone) : : Hello, William? It's Tracy. : : SOMERSET : : (into phone) : : Tracy, is everything alright? : : TRACY (v.o.) : : Yes, yes, everything's fine. : : SOMERSET : : Where's David? : : TRACY (v.o.) : : He's in the shower, in the other room. I'm : : sorry to call like this. : : SOMERSET : : It's alright, I guess. : : TRACY (v.o.) : : I, um... I need to talk to you. I need to : : talk to someone. Can you meet me : : somewhere... maybe tomorrow morning? : : SOMERSET : : I really don't understand. : : TRACY (v.o.) : : I feel stupid, but you're the only person I : : know here. There's no one else... : : SOMERSET : : I just... : : TRACY (v.o.) : : Can't you get away, for a little while? : : SOMERSET : : I don't know, with this case. : : TRACY : : If you can, please call me. Please. I : : have to go now... goodnight. : : Tracy hangs up. Somerset looks at the phone, wondering. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : FRIDAY : : 93 INT. COFFEE CAFE -- MORNING 93 : : Somerset sits in the window booth with Tracy. The cafe is noisy. : : Tracy stares into her coffee while she stirs it. : : TRACY : : I mean, you known this city. You've been : : here for so long. : : SOMERSET : : It's a hard place. : : TRACY : : I don't sleep very well. : : Somerset is trying to be understanding, but sneaks a look at his : : watch. : : SOMERSET : : I feel strange being here with you... : : without David knowing. : : TRACY : : I'm sorry, I only... : : Two young punks step up to the window outside and look in at : : Tracy. One flicks his tongue rapidly. Tracy looks away. : : Somerset takes out his badge and holds it against the window. : : One punk gives the finger and the other spits on the window. : : They leave, laughing. Tracy tries to smile. : : TRACY : : Perfect example. : : SOMERSET : : You have to put blinders on sometimes. : : Most times. : : TRACY : : I don't know why I asked you to come. : : SOMERSET : : Talk to him about it. He'll understand if : : you tell him how you feel. : : TRACY : : I can't be a burden, especially now. I : : know I'll get used to things. I guess I : : wanted to know what someone who's lived : : here thinks. Upstate, it was a completely : : different environment. : : (pause) : : I don't know if David told you, but I teach : : fifth grade, or did. : : SOMERSET : : He mentioned it. : : Tracy seemsvery upset, near tears. : : TRACY : : I've been going to some of the schools, : : looking for work, but the conditions here : : are... horrible. : : SOMERSET : : You should look into private schools. : : TRACY : : I don't know... : : Tracy looks up, wipes at her eyes. : : SOMERSET : : What's really bothering you? : : Tracy bites her lip. : : TRACY : : David and I are... going to have a baby. : : Somerset sits back, the expression of soothing concern on his : : face disappearing. : : SOMERSET : : Oh, Tracy... I have to tell you, I'm not : : the one to talk to about this. : : TRACY : : I hate this city. : : Somerset sighs. He takes out a cigarette, but thinks better of : : it and puts it back. He looks out the window. : : SOMERSET : : If you're thinking... : : (pause) : : I had a relationship once, very much like a : : marriage. And, she was going to have our : : child. This is a long time ago. She and I : : had decided we were going to make the : : choice together... whether to keep the : : baby. : : Tracy looks at Somerset. : : SOMERSET : : Well, I got up one morning and went to : : work... just like any other day, except it : : was my first since hearing about the baby. : : And, I... I felt this fear and anxiety : : washing over me. I looked around, and I : : thought, how can we raise a child : : surrounded by all this? How can a child : : grow up here? : : (pause) : : So, that night, I told her I didn't want us : : to have it, and over the next few weeks, I : : convinced her it was wrong. I mean... I : : wore her down, slowly. : : TRACY : : I want to have children. It's just... : : SOMERSET : : I can tell you now, I know... I'm positive : : I made the right decision. I'm positive. : : But, there's never a day that passes that I : : don't wish I had decided differently. : : Somerset reaches and takes Tracy's hand. : : SOMERSET : : If you... don't keep the baby, if that's : : what you decide, then, never tell him you : : were pregnant. I mean that. Never. : : (pause) : : The relationship will whither and die. : : Tracy nods, tears welling up again. Somerset smiles a bit. : : SOMERSET : : But, if you do decide to have the baby, : : then, at that very moment, when you're : : absolutely sure, tell David. Tell him at : : that exact second, and then spoil that kid : : every chance you get. : : There are tears in Somerset's eyes. : : SOMERSET : : That's all the advice I can give you, : : Tracy. I don't even know you. : : He smiles again, wipes his own tears. : : TRACY : : William... : : Somerset's beeper begins BEEPING. He takes it out and stands, : : wanting to leave. Tracy gets up and kisses him on the cheek. : : TRACY : : Thank you. : : Somerset starts to back away. : : TRACY : : Keep in touch after you're gone, William. : : Please. : : Somerset nods, raises a hand to say goodbye as he leaves. : : 94 INT. WILD BILL'S LEATHER SHOP -- DAY 94 : : Mills and Somerset are on one side of the counter and WILD BILL : : is on the other. Wild Bill is shirtless and covered in tattoos. : : He has a thick scar running down the center of his forehead and : : down his cheek. leather belts, whips and jackets hang on the : : walls and from the ceiling. : : WILD BILL : : Yeah, he picked it up last night. : : Wild Bill holds the pink receipt from John Doe's apartment. : : MILLS : : This was definitely him? : : Mills points to the rendering of John Doe he holds. : : WILD BILL : : Yeah, John Doe. Easy name to remember. : : SOMERSET : : What was this job you did for him? : : WILD BILL : : I got a picture of it here. It's a real : : sweet piece... : : Wild Bill pulls a box from behind the counter, digs in it. : : WILD BILL : : I figured he must be one of those : : performance artists. That's what I : : figured. : : Like one of those guys who pisses in a cup : : on stage and drinks it. Performance art. : : Wild Bill hands a Polaroid picture to Mills. We do not see the : : picture yet. : : MILLS : : Oh... give me a break. : : WILD BILL : : I think I undercharged him. : : SOMERSET : : (looks at photo) : : You built this for him? Youbuild this? : : WILD BILL : : I've built weirder shit than that. So : : what? : : A POLICEMAN enters the store. : : POLICEMAN : : Detectives... we have a situation. : : Mills and Somerset follow the cop out. : : WILD BILL : : Hey, my picture... ! : : Wild Bill watches them go, scratches his thick scar. : : WILD BILL : : Fucking pigs. : : 95 EXT. THE HOT HOUSE MASSAGE PARLOUR -- DAY 95 : : It's a madhouse outside The Hot House, a bright red storefront : : bordered on both sides by porno theater after porno theater. A : : crowd is gathered around a police action in progress. : : Cops have formed a barrier, holding back the crowd and creating : : an aisle from the entrance of The Hot House to the back of a : : jail-van. Cops and detectives are escorting various men, women : : and transvestites into the large vehicle. The crowd, consisting : : of the dregs of society, is shouting. Some people are spitting : : and throwing trash at the cops. : : 96 INT. THE HOT HOUSE, RECEPTION AREA -- DAY 96 : : TWO COPS are in front of a glass and steel cage. Inside the cage : : is a fat, BALD MAN with a wall of sex toys behind him. : : BALD MAN : : Just wait! Just wait! : : One cop pounds his nightstick against the glass. : : COP : : Get out of the fucking booth! : : BALD MAN : : Just wait! I'll come out, just wait! : : 97 INT. THE HOT HOUSE, CORRIDORS -- DAY 97 : : All the lights are red and the walls are painted red. Mills and : : Somerset follow a THIRD COP through the twisting corridors. : : POLICEMEN can be HEARD SHOUTING and MAKING ARRESTS. ROCK MUSIC : : PLAYS, throbbing. They come to a door. : : THIRD COP : : I don't want to go in there again. : : 98 INT. RED ROOM -- DAY 98 : : Mills and Somerset enter. ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES, LOUD. A strobe : : light flashes from the ceiling. TWO AMBULANCE ATTENDANTS are in : : the room. The first attendant is placing a sheet over a bed, : : hiding the corpse of a blonde woman. The second attendant is : : trying to examine the pupils of a CRAZED MAN, 55, who is naked : : and wrapped in a sheet. A SWEATING COP holds crazed man down. : : CRAZED MAN : : He... he... he made me do it! : : SECOND ATTENDANT : : I have to look at you. I have to look at : : you! : : LUST is scratched into the red paint on the wall in big letters. : : Mills and Somerset move towards the covered body. : : FIRST ATTENDANT : : (to Mills and Somerset) : : You're not going to want to see this more : : than once. : : CRAZED MAN : : He had a gun! He made me do it! : : The sheet is lifted for the detectives. They grimace at what : : they see. We do not see. Somerset closes his eyes and turns : : away. The first attendant replaces the sheet. : : Mills steps back, takes out his handkerchief and sucks on it. He : : looks at the crazed man. The crazed man jerks around while the : : second attendant preps a needle. : : SECOND ATTENDANT : : He's in shock, man. He's gone. : : CRAZED MAN : : Take this thing off me... take it off! : : Please, take this thing off me! : : The sweating cop keeps his controlling grip on the crazed man. : : CRAZED MAN : : Get it off... oh, God! : : SWEATING COP : : (to Mills and Somerset) : : You're the detectives, right? Right? : : Well, you'd better see this! : : Somerset's facing the wall. Crazed man's still yelling. : : SWEATING COP : : Hey... you better see what's strapped onto : : this guy! : : Mills turns to the cop. : : MILLS : : We've already seen it! : : 99 INT. SANATORIUM, WHITE ROOM -- DAY 99 : : A Polaroid photograph on a white table. It is the photo Wild : : Bill gave to Mills. It's a picture of a belt, made with extra : : leather straps so it can be worn securely around the groin. It : : is a strap-on phallus, except there is no plastic protuberance. : : Instead, there is a metal knife -- it's a strap-on butcher's : : knife. : : CRAZED MAN : : And... and... and he said... he asked me if : : I was married. And, I could see he had a : : gun in his hand. : : SOMERSET : : Where was the girl? : : CRAZED MAN : : What? What? : : SOMERSET : : Where was the prostitute? Where was she? : : The crazed man leans forward in his chair. : : CRAZED MAN : : She was... she was on the bed. She was : : just sitting on the bed. : : SOMERSET : : Who tied her down? You or him? : : CRAZED MAN : : He had a gun. He had a gun... and he made : : it happen. He made me do it! : : (sobbing) : : He made me put that... that thing on. Oh, : : Christ! He made me wear it... and... and : : he told me to fuck her. He had the gun in : : my mouth. : : The man slides to the floor and hides his face in his hands. : : CRAZED MAN : : The gun was in my throat! : : Somerset looks up at the mirror in his room. He stands and picks : : up the Polaroids as two men in institutional uniforms enter to : : collect the crazed man from the floor. : : 100 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, INTERROGATION ROOM -- DAY 100 : : Mills stands in this dirty room with the dirty, bald man from The : : Hot House's reception area booth. : : MILLS : : You didn't hear any screams? Nothing? You : : didn't notice when this man walked in with : : a package under his arm?! : : BALD MAN : : No, I didn't. : : MILLS : : You didn't notice anything wrong? Nothing : : seemed strange to you? : : BALD MAN : : Everybody who goes in there has a package : : under his arm. Some guys are carrying : : suitcases full of stuff. And, screams? : : There're screams coming out of there : : everyday. It goes with the territory, : : little boy! : : MILLS : : You like what you do for a living? You : : like the things you see? : : The bald man smiles strangely. : : BALD MAN : : No. No, I don't. But, that's life. : : 101 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- EARLY EVENING 101 : : The blackboard: : : 1 gluttony (x) 5 wrath : : 2 greed (x) 6 pride : : 3 sloth (x) 7 lust (x) : : 4 envy : : Somerset and Mills are shell-shocked, silent, seated at their : : desks. Somerset is looking at the blackboard. Mills is looking : : at the billboard out the window. : : 102 INT. SPORTS BAR -- NIGHT 102 : : Somerset and Mills sit with a full pitcher of beer. The jukebox : : plays for the other customers. The walls of the bar are covered : : with trophies, plaques and other victory symbols. : : SOMERSET : : The irony is, after a day of the type of : : work he did, he'd come home and read me : : these morbid crime stories. Murders in the : : Rue Morgue. Le Fanu's Green Tea. My : : mother would give him hell because he was : : keeping me up till all hours. : : MILLS : : Sounds like a father who wanted his son to : : follow in his footsteps. : : SOMERSET : : One birthday he gave me this brand new : : hardcover book, "The Century of the : : Detective," by Jurgen Thorwald. It traced : : the history of deduction as a science, and : : it sealed my fate, because it was real, not : : fiction. And, that a drop of blood or a : : piece of hair could solve a crime... it was : : incredible to me. : : Somerset drinks, then pours more beer. : : SOMERSET : : You know... there's not going to be a happy : : ending to this. It's not possible anymore. : : MILLS : : If we get him, I'll be happy enough. : : SOMERSET : : No. Face it now. Stop thinking it's good : : guys against bad guys. : : MILLS : : How can you say that? Especially after : : today? : : SOMERSET : : Don't try to focus on things as black and : : white, because you'll go blind. There's no : : winning and losing here. : : MILLS : : You're the oldest man I know, Somerset. : : SOMERSET : : You tell me, then... you walk into an : : apartment, and a man has beaten his wife to : : death, or the wife murdered the husband, : : and you have to wash the blood off their : : children. You put the killer in jail. Who : : won? : : MILLS : : You do your job... : : SOMERSET : : Where's the victory? : : MILLS : : You follow the law and do the best you can. : : It's all there. : : SOMERSET : : Just know that in this case there's not : : going to be any satisfaction. If we caught : : John Doe and he were the devil himself, if : : it turned out he were actually Satan, then, : : that might live up to our expectations. No : : human being could do these things, right? : : But, this is not the devil. It's just a : : man. : : MILLS : : Why don't you shut the fuck up for a while? : : You bitch and complain... if I thought like : : you, I would have slit my wrist already. : : Somerset sits back, looking at Mills. : : MILLS : : You think you're preparing me for the hard : : times ahead? You think you're toughening : : me up? Well, you're not! You're quitting, : : fine... but I'm staying. : : SOMERSET : : People don't want a champion. They just : : want to keep playing the lottery and eating : : hamburgers. : : MILLS : : What the fuck is wrong with you? What : : burnt you out? : : SOMERSET : : It wasn't one thing, if that's what you : : mean. I just... I can't live here anymore. : : I can't live where stupidity is embraced : : and nurtured as if it were a virtue. : : MILLS : : Oh, you're so much better than everyone, : : right? No one's worthy of you. : : SOMERSET : : Wrong! I sympathize completely, because if : : you can't win... then, if you don't ignore : : everything and everyone around you, you... : : you become like John Doe. It's easier to : : beat a child than it is to raise it, : : because it takes so much work to love. You : : just have to make sure you don't stop to : : think about the abuse, and the damage, : : because you'll risk being sad. Keep : : ignoring. : : MILLS : : You're talking about people who are : : mentally ill. You're... : : SOMERSET : : No I'm not! I'm talking about common, : : everyday life here. If you let yourself : : worry about one thing, you'll worry about : : the next, and the next, and it never ends. : : In this place, ignorance isn't just bliss, : : it's a matter of survival. : : MILLS : : Listen to yourself. You say, "the problem : : with people is they don't care, so I don't : : care about people." But, you're already : : here. You've been here a long time. So, : : there's a part of you that knows, even if : : everything you say is true, none of it : : matters. : : SOMERSET : : That part of me is dead. : : Mills stands. : : MILLS : : You want me to agree with you: "Yeah, : : you're right, Somerset. This is a fucked : : place. Let's go live in a fucking log : : cabin." Well, I don't agree with you. : : You're giving up, and it makes me sick, : : because you're the best I've ever seen. : : Mills throws some money on the table. : : MILLS : : Thanks for the beer. : : Mills leaves, other patrons watching him. : : Somerset takes out a cigarette and goes to light it. The lighter : : will not light, and when it does, Somerset's hand is trembling. : : 103 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- NIGHT 103 : : Mills comes quietly into the dark bedroom. Tracy is asleep on : : the bed. Mills takes off his suit jacket, puts it down. He sits : : on a chair and unties one shoe, takes it off, then looks at : : Tracy. Looks at her a long moment. : : He puts the shoe on the floor and goes to get on the bed. He : : kisses his wife's forehead, kisses her cheek, then wraps his arms : : under and around her. He holds her tight, kisses her again. : : Tracy stirs. : : TRACY : : Honey? : : Mills runs his fingers along her face. : : MILLS : : I love you. : : Mills holds her tighter. She wraps her arms around him. They : : lie together, clinging, holding tighter still. : : 104 INT. MILLS' APARTMENT BUILDING/STREET -- NIGHT 104 : : Through the window of the apartment, we can see Tracy and Mills : : on the bed. CAMERA MOVES from this window, to the street. : : CAMERA CONTINUES down the night street, to a car far from Mills' : : building. Inside the car, John Doe sits, looking up at Mills' : : window. Doe looks as plain as white bread. He adjusts his thick : : glasses, sips from a coffee cup. : : 105 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- NIGHT 105 : : Somerset is in bed. The metronome is sounding; tick... tick... : : tick... The SOUNDS of the CITY are LOUD. : : Somerset closes his eyes, concentrating on the metronome. : : Tick... tick... tick... TWO MEN are HEARD from outside, YELLING : : at each other. Somerset rolls over, restless. Tick... tick... : : tick... : : GLASS is HEARD SHATTERING. Somerset opens his eyes. MORE GLASS, : : bottles being smashed. Somerset sits up. He reaches over, grabs : : the metronome and throws it against the wall. : : 106 INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM -- LATER NIGHT 106 : : THWACK. Somerset's switchblade hits the dartboard on the wall : : and the blade embeds. : : Somerset crosses the room, still dressed for bed. He is tense. : : He takes the switchblade from the dartboard, paces back across : : the room, turns, holds the blade, then throws. The blade sticks. : : Somerset paces back to the dartboard, pulls the blade, paces : : back, throws the knife. THWACK. He goes to the board, gets the : : blade, paces, turns, throws. THWACK. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : SATURDAY : : 107 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, MAIN ROOM -- DAY 107 : : A clock on the wall says 12:30. : : 108 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARTMENT, ROOM TWO -- DAY 108 : : Three deputy detectives are reading John Doe's notebooks. PHONE : : RINGS from the other room. : : 109 INT. JOHN DOE'S APARMENT, MAIN ROOM -- DAY 109 : : One deputy enters. He goes to the phone near the bed. The : : phone's been hooked into recording device with a speaker and : : tracing equipment. The deputy turns everything on, answers. : : JOHN DOE (v.o.) : : (through speaker) : : I've gone and done it again. : : 110 INT. LUXURY APARTMENT, BATHROOM -- DAY 110 : : Somerset is looking around this femininely decorated bathroom : : with a forensic, GIL. Both wear rubber gloves. : : At the sink, objects covered in blood: a pair of scissors, a : : hypodermic needle, first-aid tape and gauze bandages, a bottle of : : anesthetic, a straight razor and a tube of super glue. : : GIL : : He really did a number on her, didn't he? : : Gil opens the plastic shower curtain and looks into the tub. The : : tub and shower wall are splattered with blood. The tub has a few : : inches of water in it. The water is cloudy red. A few bits of : : tape and gauze float in it. Gil jiggles the drain's knob. Some : : bubbles pop up from the clogged drain. : : 111 INT. LUXURY APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- DAY 111 : : PRIDE is written in lipstick on a full length mirror. Below : : that: I DID NOT KILL HER. SHE WAS GIVEN A CHOICE. : : Mills and Dr. O'Neill are in the room. O'Neill goes through his : : black bag. They're by a bed where a WOMAN lies dead under a : : blanket. The woman's head is sloppily bandaged with heavy white : : gauze and tape. The gauze is stained by spots of blood. Only : : the eyes and mouth have been left uncovered. A zoo's worth of : : stuffed animals have been placed across the bed. The woman holds : : a stuffed unicorn. : : Somerset enters from the bathroom as Mills reaches to take the : : unicorn from the woman's grasp. There is a cordless phone in her : : left hand, and her and clings to it. : : Her right hand holds a bottle of prescription pills. Mills tries : : to open the fingers of this hand with a tongue depressor, but : : they are super-glued to the bottle. Mills turns the woman's hand : : slightly so two red pills roll out onto the blanket. : : SOMERSET : : Sleeping pills. : : Mills examines the left hand. The phone is glued into it. : : O'Neill steps up, holding a thin pair of silver scissors. He : : leans to slide the scissors under the woman's bandage mask, : : starts cutting. : : Somerset goes to a dresser where the woman's purse sits open. He : : takes out the driver's license and looks at the photo. The woman : : in the picture is stunningly beautiful. : : SOMERSET : : You see what he did? : : Mills is watching the doctor work. : : MILLS : : He cut her up and dressed the wounds. : : SOMERSET : : (holds up his left hand) : : Call for help, and you'll live. But, : : you'll be disfigured. : : (raises right hand) : : Or, put yourself out of your misery. : : O'Neill removes the bandages. Mills looks away. We do not see. : : O'Neill looks to the detectives. : : O'NEILL : : He cut off her nose to spite her face, and : : he did it very recently. : : 112 EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY 112 : : Mills' car pulls up in front of the precinct house. Mills and : : Somerset get out. They wade through cars towards the old : : precinct house building. : : SOMERSET : : I've decided to stay on this, till it's : : over. Till it's either done or we can both : : see it's never going to finish. : : Mills remains impassive. : : MILLS : : Oh, you want to stay now? : : SOMERSET : : One of two things will happen. We're : : either going to get John Doe, or he'll : : finish his series of seven, and this case : : will go on for years. : : MILLS : : You think you're doing me a big favor by : : staying? : : SOMERSET : : I'm requesting you keep me on as your : : partner a few more days. You'd be doing me : : the favor. : : Mills walks on. : : MILLS : : You knew I'd say yes. : : SOMERSET : : No, actually, I wasn't sure at all. : : Somerset and Mills climb the steps of the precinct house. : : Behind them, in the street, John Doe's car pulls up and parks. : : Cars behind begin BEEPING. People behind begin cursing and : : screaming for him to move. : : John Doe steps out, his brown work boots, pants and shirttails : : are splattered with blood. : : He walks towards the precinct house, hands in his pockets, like : : he's out for a stroll. People on the sidewalk stop on seeing : : him, avoid him. : : 113 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, RECEIVING LOBBY -- DAY 113 : : Mills and Somerset walk past booking cubicles and benches of : : handcuffed low-lifes. Junkies are being led through by uniformed : : cops. The place is swimming with activity. The two detectives : : head to the wide duty desk at the end of the room. : : SOMERSET : : As soon as this is over, I'm gone. : : MILLS : : Big surprise. : : They pass through a gate and Somerset goes towards a staircase : : leading upstairs. Mills stops at the duty desk. Other cops are : : vying for the DUTY SERGEANT'S attention. : : MILLS : : Mills and Somerset are on the premises. : : SERGEANT : : Wonder-fucking-ful. : : Another PLAIN CLOTHES COP behind the duty desk leans over to hold : : out a few phone-message note to Mills. : : PLAIN CLOTHES COP : : Your wife called this morning. Do us a : : favor and get yourself an answering : : machine, how bout it? : : Mills nods and wave dismissively, pocketing the messages without : : looking at them and walking to follow Somerset. : : JOHN DOE (o.s.) : : Detective. : : Mills heads toward the stairs. : : JOHN DOE (o.s.) : : Detective! : : Mills looks back... stops. : : John Doe stands inside the precinct house doors. He gives a very : : slight smile. : : JOHN DOE : : I know you. : : Somerset stops, looks back down the stairs. : : Mills is staring at Doe, not comprehending. : : Doe holds up his arms as if to say, "Presto, here I am." All : : eyes go to the blood-soaked figure of John Doe. There comes a : : sudden, near-silence in the room. : : One UNIFORMED COP takes out his gun, points it at John Doe. : : UNIFORMED COP : : It's him! : : Several other cops drop what they're doing and draw weapons. : : Mills, still off balance, takes out his own gun, walking back : : through the gate. He points the gun at John Doe. : : MILLS : : Get down. Get down on the floor. : : Cops move slowly in on Doe from all sides. : : ANOTHER COP : : You heard him, fuckface. Get down! : : Somerset comes back through the gate. : : SOMERSET : : Be careful! : : John Doe gets down on his knees, hands in the air. Mills, pulse : : pounding, steps up, gun in both hands. Not too close. : : MILLS : : Down! Face on the floor! : : ONE COP comes from behind and nudges Doe with his foot. : : ONE COP : : Spread your legs and get your hands out in : : front of you! : : John Doe lies on his stomach, obeying. Mills comes up and puts : : his gun right against Doe's head. : : MILLS : : Don't move. Don't move an inch. : : One cop begins frisking Doe. Another comes to put on cuffs. : : Somerset comes to Mills' side. : : SOMERSET : : I don't believe it. : : JOHN DOE : : (to Somerset) : : Hello. : : The cop putting on the handcuffs looks up at Somerset and Mills. : : COP : : What the fuck is this... ? : : The cop holds up Doe's cuffed hands. Doe winces. Every single : : one of Doe's fingers has a bandage wrapped around it. : : John Doe tries to muster a smile, his face pressed against the : : floor, glasses askew, gun at his temple. : : JOHN DOE : : (to Mills) : : I want to speak to my lawyer. : : 114 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, OBSERVATION ROOM -- DAY 114 : : Mills holds a fingerprint card. The black ink prints are just : : useless blobs, smeared with blood. : : Mills, Somerset and the Captain stand in darkness. Mills looks : : up from the print card through a two-way mirror into an : : interrogation room. : : In the interrogation room, John Doe sits, handcuffed to the wall. : : This is not some superhuman serial killer. : : He looks more like an eccentric college professor, not seething : : with anger, but looking around with calm, almost lazy eyes. The : : lawyer, MARK SWARR, sits taking notes and talking with Doe. : : CAPTAIN : : He cuts off the skin if his fingertips. : : That's why we can't find a single usable : : print in the apartment. He's been doing it : : for quite a while. Keeps cutting before : : the papillary line can grow back. : : MILLS : : What about the trace on his bank account : : and the guns? There must be something to : : connect him with a past. : : CAPTAIN : : So far it's all dead ends. No credit : : history. No employment history. His bank : : account's only five years old and it : : started as cash. We're even trying to : : trace his furniture, but for now all we : : know is he's independently wealth, well : : educated and totally insane. We may never : : know how he got that way. : : SOMERSET : : Because he is John Doe, by choice. : : MILLS : : When do we get to question him? : : CAPTAIN : : You don't. It goes to court now. : : MILLS : : He wouldn't just turn himself in. It : : doesn't make any sense. : : Somerset moves from the window, crossing the room to sit. : : CAPTAIN : : Well, there he sits. It's not supposed to : : make sense. : : SOMERSET : : He's not finished. : : MILLS : : He's pissing in our faces again and we're : : just taking it. : : CAPTAIN : : You're wound too tight, Mills. Let it go. : : The captain walks. Mills is furious. He presses his fingers : : against the two-way-mirror, pushes to crack his knuckles loudly. : : MILLS : : (to Somerset) : : You know he's fucking us. : : SOMERSET : : You and I are, probably for the first time : : ever, in total agreement. He wouldn't just : : stop. : : MILLS : : Well... what the fuck, man? : : SOMERSET : : He's only two murders away from finishing : : his masterpiece, right? Can you even : : conceive of what's going to happen next? I : : mean, can you even imagine how he'll try to : : finish it? : : Mills looks in at John Doe. Somerset comes to stand beside. : : MILLS : : No. : : SOMERSET : : I can tell you this. I recognize his : : lawyer. His name's Mark Swarr. : : Mills looks at Somerset. : : SOMERSET : : He's the one who got Victor out. : : (pause) : : We'll wait for John Doe's plea. : : 115 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, SOMERSET'S OFFICE -- DAY 115 : : Mills is at the desk, feet up. He stares at the blackboard. : : 1 gluttony (x) 5 wrath : : 2 greed (x) 6 pride (x) : : 3 sloth (x) 7 lust (x) : : 4 envy : : Clock on the wall says 4:45. Somerset is packing books into : : boxes, preparing for his eventual departure. : : The captain steps into the office and clears his throat, looking : : like there is something making him very unhappy. : : 116 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, CAPTAIN'S OFFICE -- DAY 116 : : Mills and Somerset stand together. The captain is behind his : : desk with Martin Talbot, the D.A., seated in front of him. Mark : : Swarr is addressing them all, seems nervous but in control. : : SWARR : : My client says there are two more bodies... : : two more victims, hidden away. He will : : take Detectives Mills and Somerset to these : : bodies, but only Detectives Mills and : : Somerset. Only at six o'clock today. : : Talbot wipes his moist brow with a handkerchief. : : TALBOT : : Oh, Christ. : : MILLS : : Why us? : : SWARR : : He says he admires you. : : SOMERSET : : (to captain) : : My client claims that if the detectives do : : not accept this offer, these two bodies : : will never be found. : : CAPTAIN : : Frankly, counselor, I'm inclined to let : : them rot. : : TALBOT : : We don't make deals, Mr. Swarr. : : Mills gets in Swarr's face. : : MILLS : : How is it working for a scumbag like this? : : You proud of yourself? : : CAPTAIN : : Ease back, Mills. : : SWARR : : I'm required by law to serve my clients to : : the best of my ability, and to serve their : : best interests. : : Mills back off. : : CAPTAIN : : Well, we're going to have to pass. : : SWARR : : My client... he also wishes to inform you, : : if you do not accept, he will plead : : insanity, across the board. : : TALBOT : : (to no one in particular) : : Let him try! I'd like to see him try! : : SWARR : : Come now, Martin. We all know, with the : : extreme nature of these crimes, I could get : : him off with such a plea. : : Talbot considers this, wringing the handkerchief in his hands. : : Mills looks at Somerset. Somerset looks at him. : : TALBOT : : I'm not letting this conviction slide, I : : can tell you that right here and right now! : : SWARR : : He says, if you accept, under his specific : : conditions, he will sign a full confession : : and plead guilty... right here, right now. : : Talbot glares at Swarr. : : CAPTAIN : : (to Mills) : : What do you think? : : MILLS : : I'm in. : : SWARR : : It has to be both of you. : : SOMERSET : : If he were to claim insanity, this : : conversation is admissible. The fact that : : he's blackmailing us with his plea... : : SWARR : : And, my client reminds you, two more are : : dead. The press would have a field day if : : they found out the police didn't seem too : : concerned about finding them... giving them : : a proper burial. : : SOMERSET : : If there really are two more dead. : : The captain picks up a sheet from his desk. : : CAPTAIN : : The lab report came up from downtown, They : : did a quickie on Doe's clothing and : : fingernails. They found blood from Doe, : : from him cutting his own fingers... there : : was blood from the woman whose face he cut : : off, and blood from a third party. As yet : : unidentified. : : TALBOT : : (to Somerset) : : You would be escorting an unarmed man. : : Somerset thinks it over. He looks to Mills. : : MILLS : : Let's finish it. : : Somerset looks at the floor, then at Swarr. : : SOMERSET : : (to the captain) : : Well... get the fucking lawyer out of the : : room and we can talk about how this whole : : thing's going to go down. : : 117 INT. PRECINCT HOUSE, BATHROOM/LOCKER ROOM -- DAY 117 : : Somerset's hand reaches to the sink to pick up a razor. : : Somerset and Mills are at the sinks, looking at themselves in : : mirrors, shirtless. They have shaving cream spread across their : : chests. Somerset flicks his cigarette in the sink, then brings : : the razor up to start shaving the hair off his chest. Mills is : : already doing the same. : : SOMERSET : : If John Doe's head splits open and a U.F.O. : : flies out, I want you to have expected it. : : MILLS : : I will. : : They continue shaving. : : MILLS : : If I were to accidentally cut off one of my : : nipple, would that be covered by workman's : : compensation? : : Somerset smiles just slightly. : : SOMERSET : : I suppose so. : : (pause) : : If you were man enough to actually file the : : claim, I'd buy you a new one out of my own : : pocket. : : Mills finishes shaving, washes and wipes his chest off with a : : towel. He turns dead serious. : : MILLS : : Listen, Somerset... I uh... : : Mills pauses, sighs. Somerset stops shaving and looks at him. : : SOMERSET : : What is it? : : MILLS : : Well, I have to tell you... : : (pause) : : I think I've fallen in love with you. : : SOMERSET : : (shakes his head) : : Slut. : : MILLS : : (laughs, walking out) : : Kiss me on the lips. : : SOMERSET : : (still shaving) : : Give me a break. : : 118 INT. READY ROOM -- DAY 118 : : Somerset and Mills have their shirts open. A female technician : : tapes a small radio transmitter and microphone to Mills' chest. : : Somerset is already wired up, pressing the adhesive to make sure : : it'll hold. : : The technician finishes prepping Mills. Somerset buttons up his : : shirt. The technician packs up her kit, leaving. The room is : : quiet. Somerset picks up his bullet-proof vest, slides into it. : : Mills looks at his watch. He puts on his own vest, fastening it : : tight. He looks at Somerset. : : Somerset takes out a roll of antacids and pops a few. : : Mills holds out his hand and waits for an antacid. Somerset : : looks at him, flicks a few into Mills' palm. Mills chews them. : : SOMERSET : : Stay as cold as ice. : : Somerset picks up his gun off a chair. Mills picks up his gun. : : They both check them out and close them up. They lay the guns in : : holsters at the small of their backs. : : They look at each other. Somerset holds out his hand. Mills : : shakes it. : : 119 INT. CITY STREET, PRECINCT HOUSE FRONT -- DAY 119 : : The street is full of shadows as the sun is falling low. At the : : front of the precinct house, a throng of reporters shifts : : anxiously. A line of policemen holds them back. : : Martin Talbot steps out of the precinct house, cops on either : : side of him. The press swarm lurches forward, flashbulbs : : exploding. Talbot holds out his hands, preparing to speak. : : 120 EXT. CITY STREET, PRECINCT HOUSE REAR -- DAY 120 : : At the rear of the precinct house, Somerset's car pulls out of : : the fenced in parking lot. The car speeds up on the street and : : turns a corner, heading into the grim city. : : 121 EXT. SKYSCRAPER ROOFTOP -- DAY 121 : : California is dressed in full battle gear, looking through : : binoculars to the city below. The wind blows hard. : : A PILOT, holding two helmets, comes up behind California. A : : sleek police helicopter sits on the roof's helipad. : : CALIFORNIA : : Is this wind going to hurt us? : : PILOT : : Just makes the ride more fun. : : The cocky pilot grins. : : 122 INT. SOMERSET'S CAR -- DAY 122 : : Somerset is at the wheel. Mills is in the passenger's seat, : : looking back at John Doe through protective wire mesh. Doe's in : : the back seat. His handcuffs are attached to ankle cuffs by a : : length of chain. He is dressed in gray pants and a gray shirt, : : looking out the window, sweaty but placid. : : SOMERSET : : Who are you, John? Who are you really? : : John Doe looks to Somerset's eyes in the rearview mirror. : : JOHN DOE : : What do you mean? : : SOMERSET : : I mean, at this point, what would it hurt : : if you told us a little about yourself? : : JOHN DOE : : (pause) : : It doesn't matter who I am. Who I am means : : absolutely nothing. : : (looking out, to Somerset) : : You need to turn left here... at the : : traffic light. : : MILLS : : Where we headed? : : JOHN DOE : : You'll see. : : Mills looks at Doe for a long time in silence. : : MILLS : : We're not just going to pick up two more : : bodies, are we, Johnny? That wouldn't : : be... shocking enough. Wouldn't keep you : : on the front page of the newspapers. : : JOHN DOE : : Wanting people to pay attention, you can't : : just tap them on the shoulder. You have to : : hit them in the head with a sledgehammer. : : Then, you have their strict attention. : : MILLS : : What makes you so special that people : : should pay attention? : : JOHN DOE : : Not me. I'm not special. I'm not : : exceptional. : : (pause) : : This is, though. What I'm doing. : : MILLS : : I hate to burst your bubble, but other than : : the fact that you're especially sadistic, : : there's nothing unusual about these : : precious murders of yours. : : JOHN DOE : : You know that's not true. : : MILLS : : In two months, no one's going to even : : remember this happened. : : Doe looks down for a moment, then looks up, almost shyly. : : JOHN DOE : : You can't see the whole... the whole : : complete act yet. Not yet. But, when this : : is done, it's going to be... so... so... : : MILLS : : Spit it out. : : JOHN DOE : : It's going to be flawless. People will : : barely be able to comprehend it. It will : : seem almost surreal... but it will have a : : tangible reality, so they won't be able to : : deny it. : : Doe looks down, licking his lips. He clenches his hands into : : fists, digging his bandaged fingertips into his sweaty palms. : : JOHN DOE : : I can't wait for you to see. I can't : : wait... : : (pause, looks to Mills) : : It's really going to be something. : : MILLS : : Well, I'll be standing beside you the : : whole time, so you be sure to let me know : : when this whole, complete reality thing is : : done. Wouldn't want to miss it. : : JOHN DOE : : Oh, don't worry. You won't... : : 123 INT, POLICE HELICOPTER -- DAY 123 : : The helicopter is in flight above the city. California is : : strapped in, hanging out the door. He holds a high powered : : automatic rifle, wears goggles and a helmet/headset. : : JOHN DOE (v.o.) : : (through headset) : : ... you won't miss a thing. : : Two other armed cops sit in the belly of the chopper. California : : leans in and looks up towards the pilot. : : CALIFORNIA : : (into helmet microphone) : : Head over the bridge and keep them in : : sight. Just keep your distance. : : The pilot looks back and nods. : : 124 EXT. CITY SKY -- DAY 124 : : The chopper dips, flying like a bullet over the polluted city, : : heading towards the setting sun. : : 125 EXT. CITY STREETS -- DAY 125 : : Somerset's car moves along a highway at river's edge. Heading : : for a huge suspension bridge filled with speeding traffic ahead. : : 126 INT. SOMERSET'S CAR -- DAY 126 : : John Doe has his head against the window, looking up at the : : bridge, excited. He sits back, glances out the back window, then : : faces front, bites his lip, fidgety, like a kid on Christmas Eve. : : Somerset's watching him through the rearview mirror. : : SOMERSET : : What's so exciting? : : JOHN DOE : : It's not too far away now. : : [page 106. missing from script] : : JOHN DOE : : (long pause) : : I... I doubt I enjoyed it any more than... : : Detective Mills would enjoy some time alone : : with me in a room without windows. : : (looks to Mills) : : Isn't that true? How happy would it make : : you to hurt me, with impunity? : : MILLS : : (coy mocking) : : Now... I wouldn't do something like that, : : Johnny. I like you. I like you a lot. : : JOHN DOE : : You wouldn't because you know there are : : consequences. It's in those eyes of yours, : : though... nothing wrong with a man taking : : pleasure in his work. : : (pause, shakes his head) : : I won't deny my own personal desire to turn : : each sin against the sinner. I only took : : their sins to logical conclusions. : : MILLS : : You only killed a bunch of innocent people : : so you could get your rocks off. That's : : all. : : JOHN DOE : : Innocent? Is that supposed to be funny? : : Look at the people I killed. An obese man, : : a disgusting man who could barely stand : : up... who if you saw him on the street, : : you'd point so your friends could mock him : : along with you. Who if you saw him while : : you were eating, you wouldn't be able to : : finish your meal. After him I picked the : : lawyer. And, you both must have been : : secretly thanking me for that one. This : : was a man who dedicated his life to making : : money by lying with every breath he could : : muster... to keeping rapists and murderers : : on the streets. : : MILLS : : Murderers? : : JOHN DOE : : (ignoring) : : A woman... : : MILLS : : Murderers like you? : : JOHN DOE : : (ignoring, louder) : : A woman... so ugly on the inside that she : : couldn't bare to go on living if she : : couldn't be beautiful on the outside. A : : drug dealer... a drug dealing pederast, : : actually. : : (laughs at that one) : : And, don't forget the disease spreading : : whore. Only in a world this shitty could : : you even try to say these were innocent : : people and keep a straight face. : : (getting worked up) : : That's the point. You see a deadly sin on : : almost every street corner, and in every : : home, literally. And we tolerate it. : : Because it's common, it seems trivial, and : : we tolerate, all day long, morning, noon : : and night. Not anymore. I'm setting the : : example, and it's going to be puzzled over : : and studied and followed, from now on. : : MILLS : : Delusions of grandeur. : : JOHN DOE : : You should be thanking me. : : MILLS : : And, why is that? : : JOHN DOE : : You're going to be remembered, and it's all : : because of me. And, the only reason I'm : : here right now is because I wanted to be. : : MILLS : : We would have gotten you eventually. : : JOHN DOE : : Really? Just biding your time, then? : : Toying with me. Is that it? Letting five : : people die until you finally felt like : : going out and hauling me in? : : Doe sits forward, slowly getting to Mills. : : JOHN DOE : : (angrily) : : Tell me what it was that gave me away. : : What was the piece of evidence you were : : going to use against me right before I : : walked up to YOU and put my hands in the : : air. : : MILLS : : I seem to remember knocking on your : : door. : : JOHN DOE : : And, I remember breaking your nose. : : (leans further forward) : : You're only alive because I didn't : : kill you. : : MILLS : : Sit back. : : John Doe doesn't sit back, staying very close to the wire mesh. : : JOHN DOE : : I spared you, and you're going to have to : : remember that every time you look in the : : mirror at that nose on your face for the : : rest of your life. Or, I should say, for : : the rest of what life I've allowed you to : : have. : : Mills slams his fist against the mesh, fed up, furious. : : MILLS : : I said, sit back, freak. Sit back and shut : : your fucking mouth! : : Die sits back, taking a deep breath and letting it out. : : In the front seat, Somerset shoots a concerned glance at Mills, : : then looks up into the rearview mirror. : : IN THE MIRROR: Doe, calm, gives Somerset a smile. : : Doe then turns his attention back out the passenger window, : : watching the world pass by, his face pressed to the glass. : : Mills sits forward in his seat, letting his anger come down. Doe : : keeps staring out the window. A long pause. : : JOHN DOE : : Don't ask me to pity the people I killed. : : I don't mourn them anymore than I mourn the : : thousands who died in Sodom and Gomorrah. : : Mills almost lets this pass, but can't. Blunted anger: : : MILLS : : You fuck. You really think what you did : : was God's good work? : : Pause. John Doe is pressing his forefinger into the tip of his : : thumb, causing blood to drip from under the bandage. : : JOHN DOE : : The Lord works in mysterious ways. : : 127 EXT. SKY -- EARLY EVENING 127 : : The helicoper flies over huge, blackened industrial parks, past : : smokestacks spewing soot. The sky is turning crimson. : : 128 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 128 : : California leans way out looking back at the city. : : 129 EXT. INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 129 : : Somerset's car comes down this rocky, deserted strip, towards the : : industrial parks. The car tosses dirt into the air where it is : : captured on the wind. : : 130 EXT. SKY -- EARLY EVENING 130 : : The chopper roars, low, close to the stretch of industrial road. : : This is the only road through vast swampy fields. The industrial : : parks are far behind. : : 131 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 131 : : California still leans out, gun poised, looks over the fields. : : CALIFORNIA : : There ain't no ambush out here. There : : ain't no fucking nothing out here. : : PILOT (v.o.) : : (through headset) : : We got about two minutes before they come : : up behind us. : : CALIFORNIA : : Go high. Way up. In sixty seconds, cut to : : the west. : : 132 EXT. SKY -- EARLY EVENING 132 : : The chopper climbs, really moving. : : 133 EXT. INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 133 : : Somerset's car comes down the road, surrounded by marshlands. : : The car slows, then stops. Mills gets out and goes to extract : : Doe. Somerset gets out, looking east to the industrial parks and : : city beyond. The sky is darkening. : : Somerset walks and looks to the west. The sky is red. Very far : : away, a passenger train moves towards the hidden sun. : : Somerset watches the train, walking to the edge of the roadway. : : He looks down and steps back from what he sees. : : A dead dog lies in the weeds, old and moldering. : : Somerset turns to the car, where John Doe stands with Mills. Doe : : points with his cuffed hands to the dog, grins. : : JOHN DOE : : I didn't do that. : : 134 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING 134 : : The wind howls, pounding on John Doe as he walks through the : : swampy field. He walks slowly, encumbered by the deep muck and : : by the short chain between his ankles. Mills is with Doe, : : disgusted by the ooze covering his shoes and pants cuffs. He : : looks ahead, cautious. Somerset walks behind them. : : Doe keeps looking back towards the car on the industrial road. : : MILLS : : What are you looking for? : : Doe looks forward. : : JOHN DOE : : What time is it? : : SOMERSET : : Why? : : Somerset looks at his watch. It's one minutes after seven. : : JOHN DOE : : I want to know. : : Mills gives Doe a shove. : : Somerset looks back towards the industrial road, worried. : : MILLS : : Just keep leading the way. : : JOHN DOE : : It's close. : : SOMERSET : : Mills! : : Mills and Doe look back at Somerset. Somerset is facing the : : industrial road, pointing. A van is coming, dust flying. : : Somerset looks at Mills. Mills looks at Somerset. They take out : : their guns. Somerset starts towards the road. : : SOMERSET : : Stay with him. : : MILLS : : Wait! : : SOMERSET : : There's no time to discuss it! : : Somerset runs to head off the van. : : John Doe begins walking to follow Somerset. : : JOHN DOE : : There he goes. : : Mills levels his gun at John Doe's head. : : 135 EXT. MARSHLANDS, NEAR INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 135 : : Somerset runs, breathing hard, opening the top of his : : bullet-proof vest to speak into his hidden microphone. : : SOMERSET : : There's a van... coming down the industrial : : road. Coming from the east. : : 136 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 136 : : The chopper is circling in the air, far from the marshlands with : : the sun behind it. Another cop is in the hatchway beside : : California, looking through binoculars. : : SOMERSET (v.o.) : : (from headset) : : The van is coming form the east. I don't : : know what it is. Come around. Come : : around. : : 137 EXT. MARSHLANDS, NEAR INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 137 : : Somerset continues, charging through the mire. : : SOMERSET : : Just get ready for anything and wait for my : : signal. Wait for me. : : 138 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING 138 : : Mills keeps the gun on John Doe, watches Somerset far off. : : JOHN DOE : : It's good we have some time to talk. : : Doe starts walking again. : : MILLS : : Get down. Get down on your knees! : : Mills grabs Doe and pushes Doe's knees out with his foot, making : : Doe kneel in the brown water. : : Mills positions himself behind Doe so that Doe is between him and : : the road. Now, Mills can keep the gun on Mills and still watch : : Somerset. : : 139 EXT. MARSHLANDS, INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 139 : : Somerset comes up on the road, near his car. He signals for the : : van to stop, then fires a warning shot in the air. The van is : : about one hundred yards away, still coming. : : Somerset walks towards it, breathless, pointing his gun. : : SOMERSET : : Stop the van! Stop! : : The van brakes, wheels sliding on the loose roadway. Stops. : : Somerset moves up to it, staying about ten feet away. : : SOMERSET : : Get out! Get out with your hands on your : : head! Do it now! : : The driver of the van, a DELIVERYMAN, pushes the door open and : : slides out, slow, takes off his sunglasses. : : DELIVERYMAN : : Jesus Christ, man, don't shoot me! : : SOMERSET : : Turn around. Hands on your head! : : DELIVERYMAN : : What the hell's going on? : : SOMERSET : : Who are you? What are you doing out here? : : DELIVERYMAN : : I'm... I'm just delivering a package. : : 140 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 140 : : California listens as the chopper spins over industrial parks. : : DELIVERYMAN (v.o.) : : (through headset) : : It's just a package for this guy... David. : : Detective David Mills. : : CALIFORNIA : : Motherfucker. : : The pilot looks back at California. : : PILOT : : Let's do it. : : CALIFORNIA : : No! Wait for Somerset! : : 141 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING 141 : : Mills and Doe can see Somerset keeping his distance from the : : deliveryman. The deliveryman moves to the back of the van and : : opens the van's rear door. : : JOHN DOE : : When I said I admired you... I meant what I : : said. I do admire you. : : Mills keeps his eyes on the van, but steps up to place his gun at : : the back of Doe's head. Pulls the hammer back. : : MILLS : : Shut up. : : 142 EXT. MARSHLANDS, INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 142 : : The deliveryman takes a brown package, about a foot square, from : : the van. : : DELIVERYMAN : : This guy paid me five hundred bucks to : : bring it out here. He wanted it here at : : exactly seven o'clock. : : SOMERSET : : Put it down. Put it on the ground. : : DELIVERYMAN : : Okay... : : He puts it on the road and backs away, holding up his hands. : : Somerset glances into the field to see Doe on his knees with : : Mills behins him. Somerset looks at the package. Written on : : top: DETECTIVE DAVID MILLS -- HANDLE WITH CARE. : : SOMERSET : : (to deliveryman) : : Go. Get out of here! : : The deliveryman backs off, then scrambles into the van. Somerset : : pulls back his bullet-proof vest and speaks into the mic. : : SOMERSET : : There's a package here. It's from John Doe. : : The van tears away. Somerset doesn't know what to do. He walks : : around the package, reholsters his gun. : : SOMERSET : : I don't know... I don't know... : : He looks out towards Doe and Mills. : : 143 INT. HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 143 : : California waits, listening, looking into the blood-red sky. : : SOMERSET (.o.) : : (through headset) : : I'm going to have to open it. : : 144 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING 144 : : Mills watches Somerset kneel beside the package on the road. : : JOHN DOE : : I wish I could have been a normal man like : : you. I wish I could have a simple life. : : MILLS : : What the fuck is going on here?! : : 145 EXT. MARSHLANDS, INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 145 : : Somerset pulls his switchblade, clicks it open. : : He cuts across the top of the box, hands shaking, cuts quickly. : : He pulls the box open, pulls at some bubble-wrap inside. : : 146 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 146 : : The pilot grits his teeth. : : PILOT : : (into helmet mic) : : Let's go! : : CALIFORNIA : : We are going to wait! : : California listens. : : SOMERSET (v.o.) : : (through headset) : : Oh, Christ... oh Christ... : : 147 EXT. MARSHLANDS, INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 147 : : Somerset stumbles backwards, away from the open box. He is white : : as a sheet, eyes filled with numb fear. He leans against his car : : for support, wretches, sick, holds the back of his hand to his : : mouth. : : SOMERSET : : No... : : 148 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING 148 : : Mills is watching Somerset, grabs John Doe by the shirt. : : MILLS : : Get up. Stand up! Let's go! : : Doe stands, tries to walk. Mills is walking quickly, towards : : Somerset. Doe can't keep up. : : JOHN DOE : : You've made a good life for yourself... : : MILLS : : Shut up! : : Doe falls and Mills starts dragging him through the reeds. : : 149 EXT. MARSHLANDS, INDUSTRIAL ROAD -- EARLY EVENING 149 : : Somerset wipes saliva from his lips and tears from his eyes. He : : takes a deep breath, looks to see Mills dragging Doe. : : SOMERSET : : Oh, fuck, no... : : Somerset straightens, tries to pull himself together. He : : swallows, draws his gun. : : SOMERSET : : (into hidden mic) : : Listen... listen to me. Whatever you do... : : don't come in here. Stay away. No matter : : what you hear, do not move in! : : (starts towards Mills) : : John Doe has the upper hand. : : Somerset picks up his switchblade and flips the blade back in. : : He enters the marsh. : : 150 EXT. MARSHLANDS -- EARLY EVENING : : 150 : : Mills sees Somerset coming and pulls Doe so that Doe stands. : : JOHN DOE : : (quietly, watching) : : Here he comes. : : MILLS : : (shouts to Somerset) : : What the fuck is going on? : : JOHN DOE : : (to Mills) : : I want you to know, I wish I could have : : lived like you do. : : Somerset starts running towards Mills, mud splattering. : : SOMERSET : : Mills... put down your gun! Throw it away! : : Mills leaves Doe behind, walks towards Somerset, gun down. : : MILLS : : What? : : Somerset is fifty yards away and closing. : : SOMERSET : : Throw your gun down now! : : MILLS : : What are you talking about? What happened? : : JOHN DOE : : Are you listening to me, Detective Mills? : : I'm trying to tell you how much I admire : : you... and your pretty wife Tracy. : : Mills freezes, turns to Doe. Doe smiles. Somerset is close. : : SOMERSET : : Throw your weapon, detective! Now! : : MILLS : : (to John Doe) : : What did you say? : : JOHN DOE : : It's surprising how easily a member of the : : press can purchase information from the men : : in your precinct. : : SOMERSET : : David... please... : : JOHN DOE : : I visited your home this morning, after you : : left. : : Mills is filled with an aching terror. : : JOHN DOE : : I tried to play husband... tried to taste : : the life of a simple man, but it didn't : : work out. So, I took a souvenir. : : Mills turns to look at Somerset with pleading eyes. Somerset : : holds out his hand. : : SOMERSET : : Give me the gun. : : JOHN DOE : : Her pretty head. : : MILLS : : Somerset... : : JOHN DOE : : Because I envy your normal life. Envy is : : my sin. : : Somerset can't hold back tears. : : Fury rises in Mill and he turns to level his gun at John Doe. : : Somerset raises his gun and points it at Mills. : : SOMERSET : : No! : : Mills sees Somerset's gun, raises his gun to Somerset. : : MILLS : : Tell me it's not true. : : SOMERSET : : I can't let you do this... : : Mills steps forward, enraged. : : MILLS : : Put your gun down!! : : SOMERSET : : Don't do this... please... : : MILLS : : Put the gun down, Somerset! : : A pause. Somerset's gun hand is trembling. The wind whips : : across them. The HELICOPTER can be HEARD distantly. Somerset : : throws his gun down. : : SOMERSET : : David, listen to me... : : Mills goes to grab John Doe by the throat and puts the gun to : : Doe's forehead, blind with rage. : : Somerset holds his hand behind his back, opens his switchblade. : : SOMERSET : : He wants this! He wants you to do it! : : Doe is staring into Mills' eyes with wild expectation. : : JOHN DOE : : Kill me. : : Doe lowers his head, waiting for execution. : : Mills holds the gun at Doe's head, undecided, furious. : : Somerset edges towards them. : : MILLS : : (looks to Somerset) : : Stop it! You stay away! : : Somerset moves the switchblade so he's holding it by the blade, : : ready to throw, keeping it hidden. : : SOMERSET : : I can't let you do this! : : Mills kicks Doe and throws him backwards on the ground. The : : HELICOPTER is CLOSER. : : Mills stands over Doe and points the gun. : : JOHN DOE : : She begged for her life, and for the life : : of your baby inside her. : : Mills' face fills with confusion -- then a wave of horror. : : Doe's eyes register shock. : : JOHN DOE : : You didn't know. : : SOMERSET : : NO! : : Somerset brings his hand out to throw the blade, but Mills reacts : : to the movement, turns on Somerset and fires -- BLAM! : : Somerset flies backwards in the air, bullet exploding into his : : shoulder, just above the bullet-proof vest's opening. : : Somerset hits the ground, crying out, bloody, writhing. : : Mills turns the gun on John Doe. : : 151 INT. POLICE HELICOPTER -- EARLY EVENING 151 : : The chopper is over the marshland. California is leaning out : : with his rifle. He cringes from the sounds as FROM HIS HEADSET : : is HEARD: BLAM -- BLAM -- BLAM -- BLAM -- BLAM. : : INSERT -- TITLE CARD : : TWO WEEKS LATER : : 152 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- DAY 152 : : Somerset sits in a wheelchair. He is dressed in a hospital gown. : : His upper chest and shoulder are wrapped in bandages. He stares : : out the window at the city's buildings. : : CAPTAIN (o.s) : : Hey there, Somerset. : : Somerset turns to see the captain. Somerset looks weak, older. : : SOMERSET : : Hello. : : The captain walks in, carrying something behind his back. : : CAPTAIN : : How you feeling? : : SOMERSET : : I can breathe withour pain now, so I guess : : I feel great. : : Somerset musters a lame smile. The captain sits on the bed. : : CAPTAIN : : The guys at the precinct heard you're : : getting out today. Anyway, we all chipped : : in... : : The captain takes a big tool belt full of tools from behind his : : back. He hands it over. Somerset looks at it and lays it on his : : lap. He smiles for real. : : SOMERSET : : Thank you. Tell them, thank you. : : CAPTAIN : : We figure you need all the tools you can : : get to fix up that piece of shit you call a : : house. : : SOMERSET : : Yeah, that's true. : : Somerset continues examining the tools. : : CAPTAIN : : They're hoping you stop and say goodbye : : before you go, but I told them not to : : expect it. : : SOMERSET : : (not looking up) : : It would be too hard. : : The captain stands. : : CAPTAIN : : I have to get going, but... there is one : : more thing. : : Somerset looks up. The captain takes a letter from his pocket. : : CAPTAIN : : I don't know if you're going to want it. : : It was down front. It's from Mills. : : Somerset pauses, then puts out his hand to take it. : : CAPTAIN : : He's being arraigned tomorrow. : : SOMERSET : : I read about it in the paper. : : Somerset just looks at the letter. : : CAPTAIN : : I guess... decide for yourself. I don't : : know what it says. I'm going to go. : : SOMERSET : : I'll see you. : : The captain nods and walks into the hall. : : Somerset wheels back to the window. He looks at the letter. : : Pause. He opens it. Unfolds the paper inside. : : The note reads: : : YOU WERE RIGHT. YOU WERE : : RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING. : : Somerset closes the note, upset. : : 153 INT. HOSPITAL, MAIN NURSES' STATION -- DAY 153 : : Somerset is in street clothes. He signs a form at the busy front : : desk. A NURSE takes the form and hands Somerset a large manila : : envelope. : : NURSE : : There you go, Mister Somerset. : : "Mister" causes Somerset to look strangely at the nurse. : : NURSE : : Yes? : : SOMERSET : : Nothing. : : 154 EXT. HOSPITAL -- DAY 154 : : Somerset comes down the stairs, slowly, tired. He holds the : : manila envelope and a small suitcase. The streets are busy with : : pedestrians and traffic. : : He walks down the sidewalk. : : He puts down the suitcase and opens the manila envelope to look : : inside. He sorts through the contents, takes out his keys and : : puts them in his pocket. : : He reaches in the envelope again, and takes out the square of : : wallpaper with the pale, red rose on it. There is some dried : : blood on the paper. Somerset lays the envelope on the ground : : beside the suitcase. : : He looks at the rose, tries to scratch off the blood. : : He looks up, squinting from the sun, at the city bustling around : : him. At the tight canyon formed by the buildings. : : At the cars, buses and taxis racing in the streets. : : At a man, talking to himself, who lies on the sidewalk, : : surrounded by garbage. : : At the people, miserable people, walking past him. : : Somerset takes out the note from Mills: YOU WERE RIGHT. YOU WERE : : RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING. : : A father passes by, holding his young son's hand. Somerset turns : : to watch them pass. The father reaches to pick the son up and : : carry him in his arms. The boy laughs and holds tight. : : The father hugs his son to him, kisses him on the cheek. The boy : : returns the kiss with great affection. : : Somerset watches them disappear in the mass of humanity. He : : looks back at the two papers in his hands. He lets out a sigh. : : SOMERSET : : (to himself) : : Oh... man... : : He sighs again, drained. : : He puts the pale paper rose inside the note from Mills. He folds : : them together. : : He tears them both up, into little pieces. : : 155 EXT. PRECINCT HOUSE -- DAY 155 : : Cars roll by in the street. Cops come and go. : : Somerset walks up the stairs, into the precinct house. The doors : : shut behind him. : : : THE END

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