The devil had the upper hand

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2004)

There are two things in Seven that set it apart from the crowd.
First, the complementary ways of thinking from two detectives with conflicting personalities. Unlike the most stories of the same genre, Detectives Somerset and Mills formed a perfect partnership not by the similarity between them (of which there was few), but by their unlike-mindedness in nearly every point of view. Learned, sophisticated, and weary of a thirty-four-year career in dealing with crimes, Somerset allowed his heart to quit before the actual date of retirement came, dragging his feet in accepting challenges, and as a consequence the real value remained of him was to give what he guessed or believed based on his time-tested concepts and instinct. Mills, as opposed to his partner, was all fresh and green and ready for action. Their thoughts crashed practically all the way down to the end, and yet it was their very difference in mind and attitude that supplemented them each with what the other lacked in their mission to find the killer.
Second, the great disparity in power between the good and evil. It was plain that John Doe, the evildoer, was far more intelligent than the two detectives combined. And throughout the entire process of his well-planned killings, Doe kept having the upper hand, making his pursuers see what he wanted them to see at what time he defined for them. There seemed no way, absolutely no way for them to conquer him, to do what he was not intended. The last scene, appalling and heart-wrenching beyond belief, showed the utter helplessness from the men trapped and the powerful ill will of the trapper ¡ª Somerset, with the feebleness in convincing even himself, called Mills to throw his gun away; Mills, suffering torture from shock, agony and rage, couldn't help but do exactly what he was set up to do; and Doe, with a triumphant smile on his face, embraced death with all coolness. What an ending! I rate this film 9 out of 10.