The greatest, deepest, most insightful film I have ever seen.

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2003)

****SPOILER****
This is a philosophical comment to the POINT of the film, so it is quite in-depth. Although it does not go too much into the plot directly, the film is more enjoyable if one discovers said points of the films for oneself. Continue at own risk.

Somerset: "The first thing they teach you, is that if you are being raped, don't shout "rape". Shout "fire". THEN people will come running..... I just can't go on working in a place that nurtures apathy as if it were a virtue".
The point of Seven is moral more than religious. Its point concerns APATHY, and explains how apathy actually IS evil. A New Testament example of this is the story of Lazarus (Don't get me wrong. I'm an atheist and deeply loathe the bible as a whole. Nevertheless, in part, the bible has a point here.). The wealthy man is deemed evil (in the eyes of God/eternity/objectivity) because of his apathy towards the needy (Lazarus) - evil enough, in fact, to be cast into hell. The moral of the story (of Lazarus as well as Seven) is that active harm is not necessary for one to be evil. One merely needs to abstain from doing good. Not all evil people NEED to actively harm others to get what they want. Some already have it, and choose to let others die at their door.
So I have no doubt that the people that Doe killed were evil. I have no doubt that Somerset hated them as well. Only Somerset was to loving a person to take on the role of judge, jury and executioner. Both Somerset and Doe have let the apathy of the world drive them to give up. Doe wants to die and take some of those cold-hearted bastards with him, and, hopefully, make his point and thus change the world. Somerset merely wants to escape to some distant place in the country. But in the end, Somerset simply can't turn his back on the world. He wants to go on trying to help. Probably inspired by Mills passion for justice.

On a more depressing note, I believe that the moral of the story is, that these vices (seven deadly sins) are what make us human. Only one person has none of these vices - Somerset - and he is lonely and miserable. Inhuman(ly good). "With much wisdom comes much sadness, and he that furthers his wisdom furthers his sadness" (Ecclesiastes 1:18, loosely translated).
Mills has it sooo easy, not reflecting on life the way Somerset does. He is nevertheless truly good, in my opinon. And that is the only real hole in the pattern of the plot. Wrath need not be a vice/sin. Mills did not beat up his wife, nor run amuck and kill people or anything like that. His wrath was always just, and it never hurt the innocent. I completely love both him and Somerset.
This is the greatest, deepest, most insightful film I have ever seen.