I must whole heartidly disagree

Rating: 3/10 (25 April 2008)

I remember sitting down to watch se7en in a jam packed cinema on its release day, I eagerly anticipated the movie and left, some two hours later, in a rage that has not subsided to this day. I have just completed my second viewing, curious as to whether I would hold the same view numerous years later, the disappointment, nae utter astonishment, at how flawed the film is, has not subsided.
I struggle to comprehend how viewers can hail the performances as stellar, sure Spacey turns in a classic spaceyesque performance, however Freeman and Pitt are simply playing Freeman and Pitt, we have seen it all before and since. The less said about Paltrow the better, she is wooden, insipid and utterly void of any attributes to which one could ever associate envy.
This leads to the single biggest problem with the film, we are supposed to accept that a mastermind serial killer intent on making a biblical statement about sin and punishment, who has spent 12 months planning and carrying out his masterwork has built the entire years efforts around a finale which hinges, not only upon the investigating officer being married, but more importantly the investigating officer having a life that is worthy of envy.
I cannot suspend disbelief sufficiently to accept this suggestion. Take either strand and you cannot disprove the other, maybe Pitts life is not the subject of envy but merely a vehicle for the envious act, fair enough ... are we supposed to believe that Spacey had a back up plan if the investigating officer had been a bachelor with no discerning qualities at all.
I am afraid that se7en flatters to deceive, compared to Finchers recent works and in particular Zodiac, Se7en reeks of an ill conceived, poorly executed and fundamentally shallow work. I have no doubt that the average cinema goer thought the credits were stylish and "cool" and found the cluttered soundtrack interesting, I am sure that budding film students found the whole thing to be gritty and earthy, alas it fails to add up to anything other than a waste of 2 hours of your time.
Do yourself a favour Don't Believe The Hype!