Dark but a thrilling ride

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2013)

Major spoilers below.....
Have we all gotten so used to it that we have become naive? Se7en is David Fincher's second film, after his under appreciated take on the Alien franchise. This is a film I have watched when I was around 14 and I thought it was excellent, does it hold up now that I am more mature and I have a better understanding of how things work? Definitely.
The film's screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker and honestly I have no idea what other films he has done aside from 8MM, and I haven't even seen that film yet. So I came into this thinking whether I would still be excited and thrilled in my second viewing. I was not as surprised or excited this time as I knew the major twist and the events leading up towards it. Back then, I only really viewed the surface of the film and in subsequent viewing, I discovered the depth of this film and this depth is the reason I remained hooked until the end. The story is an up and coming detective who got transferred to this city where crime is apparent and is hoping to be involved in bigger and more serious cases. He is then paired with a soon to be retired detective to solve a case of murders relating to the seven deadly sins. The screenplay really speaks the abundance and triviality of sin that litters the streets. It gives us these two characters that clearly represents the sins and virtues in Catholicism. David Mills' character clearly represents a person who is among the people who falls within sin and yet we root for the guy. The character Mills throughout the film has fallen within the seven sins that John Doe is trying to show, either done subtly or obviously. William Somerset on the other hand represents the virtues that counter acts sin. I see this film as a character driven film, you follow both these two detectives to a definitive ending that will not only entertain the audience but also get them thinking. Thematically deep but also a surprising thriller.
This was my first David Fincher, and in my first viewing I found the film to be unsettling due to the themes and tone, granted I was also 14 who loved light and heart-warming films, but as I have gotten older and mature I have become a little more stoic and have gained an interest in cinema. With this interest, I have started to explore different films and such, then I got to a point where I watched a few under Fincher's direction and started to enjoy them, especially Fight Club and Alien 3, so I decided to watch Se7en again and started to understand his ability as a filmmaker. Se7en is definitely a dark film but this was coming off the heels of Alien 3, which was also a depressing turn to the Alien saga, so it wasn't much of a big change but his direction in this feature was much more controlled and understood. He definitely knew what he wanted to do with this film and knew what he wanted to convey to the audience. Fincher's confidence here is not something that is found in his later acclaimed films but he did enough to convince me in his sophomore attempt.
I haven't seen the other films that Darius Khondji have worked in but his photography here is definitely moody. It's appropriate and unsettling. The tone is the major thing I picked up on his photography and it was definitely supported with dominating shadows, icy cold colors, and the overpouring rain. This tone and darkness is something I don't find in a Fincher film until The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Pulsing drums and deep horns fill the score by Howard Shore. It aided, especially in the third act, in creating that thrilling atmosphere with the rising tension that constantly grasps the audience. I am familiar with Shore's work, notably The Lord of the Rings, The Aviator and Hugo, so I had a bit of expectation for his take on this film. It was great and can't think of anything that would improve it.
The film moves in such a pace that doesn't feel rushed. It takes its time with its character development and tension building. The third act is definitely the Coup de Grace as it fantastically grips us as it leads to the conclusion that will have you shocked and amazed.
As this film, to me, was character driven, it had to have actors who can give great performances. Both Pitt and Freeman give their all and have successfully stamped and defined their characters. Pitt, though, is the one I have to give more props to as he played a role that was sympathised but also unlikable. The supporting cast is underplayed to dominate the presence of these two leads but their performances were great.
The film has some dark themes and is very unsettling at times but should not be dismissed as it is also an entertaining piece of work and definitely a notable effort in Fincher's catalog.