Nolan’s screenplay (co-written with Hillary Seitz) foregrounds ethical ambiguity over neat resolution. The film poses questions more than it supplies answers: When does survival justify deception? Does the law demand purity of action, or can imperfect servants still uphold justice? Dormer’s choices complicate the viewer’s allegiance; we sympathize even as we condemn. The procedural elements—investigative beats, forensic detail—are rendered with sufficient realism to anchor the drama, but the emotional and philosophical stakes remain the focus.