Stunning

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2002)

One of those films that cause you to leave the cinema in a daze. A film about many things: fate, retribution, sin, religion, evil, society.
A tale about a serial killer who murders people for their sins, and a mismatched buddy cop duo who must stop him before they too become part of his 'game'. When you break it down to its basics you realise that this could have been a disaster - Joel Schumacher directs Seagal and Van Damme in a shoot 'em up action movie where our heroes save the girl in the nick of time...
The fact that the story works so well is testament to Fincher's marvellous vision and the performances of Spacey, Freeman & Pitt. The depth and originality that are added draw us into the picture and make us care about the characters. Think for moment: in a movie about a serial killer, how many people do we actually witness being slain? This isn't Jason or Freddie. What makes this scary is that John Doe is presented as a real person - a guy from the big, dirty, rainy city who just might live in the apartment below you. The fact that he is not just a random psycho who kills due to irresistable urges or the cycle of the moon makes him so much more frightening.
For sheer edge-of-the-seat cinema, the final twenty minutes are as good as any you will see. All of the pieces of the jigsaw come together and - unfortunately - they fit perfectly...