127 Minutes
Directed By: David Fincher
Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker
Staring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, and R. Lee Ermy
I didn’t say I was different or better. I’m not. Hell, I sympathize; I sympathize completely. Apathy is the solution. I mean, it’s easier to lose yourself in drugs than it is to cope with life. It’s easier to steal what you want than it is to earn it. It’s easier to beat a child than it is to raise it. Hell, love costs: it takes effort and work. -Detective Sommerset
Review
Yes, this is a re-post, but the former was a technical mess, so here is a re-post for 1001 Movie Club. Se7en is an eerie, dark, thriller that may be too ominous for your general viewer. During the course of the investigation of the murders we get to slowly and methodically know our main characters Sommerset and Mills, and we meet Mills wife played by Gwyneth Paltrow. An obvious real love and affection is developed between the two and it becomes apparent the man is head over heels with his wife.
The torture tale of Se7en begins with Brad Pitt (Detective Mills) who plays a new detective in the precinct, taking over for the retiring Morgan Freeman (Detective Sommerset). In the first homicide they are assigned, a grotesquely fat man was tortured by someone forcing him to eat himself to death. Sommerset immediately sees the qualities of a serial killer. Not only does he not want to end his career with another nightmare, he does not want the idealistic Mills to start his with it. It isn’t long before the two make the connection that this grisly killer is using the seven deadly sins as his format for murder.
The first sin, with the fat man, was Gluttony. Soon after more murders follow with equal brutality. A high priced lawyer is forced to remove his own stomach with a butcher knife, the word Greed is written in blood across his office wall. The next is a man who has been tortured for an entire year, and is barely alive, his crime Sloth. After that a hooker is killed in a most grim fashion, her crime Lust. Shortly after that a beautiful woman’s face is disfigured and she is given the choice to either call for help and live or swallow a bottle of sleeping pills and die. She opted for death. Her crime was Pride.
The film is not suspense driven and Fincher takes his time developing the plot and characters, but was this slower paced mood that actually makes the climatic events that much more intense. The visuals of the film are dark, gloomy. Every scene is dimly lit, and in most cases the outdoor scenes are masked by rain. That combined with the composure of Howard Shore gives you a feeling of almost no hope in the midst of a dark and withering world, where there is almost no light. The entire film gives this feeling of complete and utter dread. But Mills character is there to remind you, there is only hope. Even though the hope he represents is shattered by the end.
The quote that really captures the essence of the film is when Sommerset says to Mills after finding another murder:
“If we caught John Doe tomorrow, and it
turned out he was the devil… if it
turned out he was literally Satan, then,
that might live up to our expectations.
No human being could do these horrible
things, right?! But, this is not the
devil. It’s only a man.”
An interesting twist, we don’t see the actual killer until the end of the film, but it’s anticipated arrival did not let us down. John Doe, played by Kevin Spacey, was not only articulate but actually makes his argument for his deeds seem almost plausible, even agreeable. The end in which there has been much speak of over the years (What’s in the box????????) is shocking, twisted, and absolutely appalling, but it is Check Mate.
Se7en is possibly my favorite film of all time. It has every element of excellent story telling, the intricate look inside the head of a maniacal serial killer, and the development of characters that are unforgettable. It is a film that delves into the depths of mankind in darkest light. So many different emotions run like water during the course of it’s story. Be prepared to be shocked and dismayed. Pure genius film making.
Oh the ending. I wish I could erase it from my mind and watch it all over again it was so freaking good. Not to mention this movie is pretty gruesome. This was one of the films that started my man-crush on Brad Pitt!
I really need to watch this one again, its been too long. I’m sure my girlfriend would approve of anything containing Kevin Spacey anyway.
Your girlfriend is wise wise wise. Kevin Spacey is awesome in anything he does, even if it’s a cameo, but John Doe is right up there with Lester Burnham of my favorite Spacey performances……..and of Verbil/Kaiser.
An absolutely terrific piece of film-making and one of my favorite movie of all time. Just one of those film where everything comes together A great review worthy of this masterpiece Heather!
Thanks Caster! It’s one of those movies that though isn’t as mind blowing as the first watching is still awesome to watch again and again because of the incredible performances from Freeman and Pitt.
It still has one of the most ominous and virtually alive moods I’ve ever felt from a movie.
Great review on an awesome movie! Why can’t David Fincher make good films anymore? I used to be a huge fan of his until I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Hey Mistress,
I still haven’t seen Button so I’m going to have to give it a go. But I loved Fight Club and enjoyed Panic Room as well. Fincher does great work, we’ll see about Button.
@Movie Mistress: Yes!! David Finchers recent films are terrible including Benjamin “Boring as heck” Button!!! Why can’t he make another fight club or se7en???
But back to Se7en. Really slick, great looking, well written, well acted movie. Fincher was THE MAN back then. Great review Heather.
I am going to have to disagree with you. Zodiac is brilliant. Benjamin is definitely not his best work but Zodiac is absolutely brilliant.
Gotta agree with you Red Beard.
Zodiac was my number one film of the year and in my top twenty of the decade. It was an incredible film.
Great Review! This film is a classic in my opinion. The acting between Pitt, Freeman, and Spacey are top-notch!
I’ll still never forget eeing this in a packed theatre a week or so after it opened. jumping in my seat when the sloth victim ‘did his thing’ (I don’t startle easy, so that was impressive), and walking home throroughly bummed in the autumn night.
What impresses me about this film looking back almost fifteen years later(!), is how it doesn’t rely on style to achieve success. The story is so deeply methodical in its slow, grizzly arc…almost as if it was timing each step to a tick of Somerset’s metronome.
Great post Heather – can’t wait to see what everybody else in 1001 thinks of this.
I think, with Requiem, it’s going to receive some of the highest scores yet. It’s a perfect film. I honestly have no negative criticism and that’s saying more by not saying anything at all.
one of the best-made films of its era and genre!