Gritty, Disturbing Thriller - One of its Kind

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2008)

Incredibly gritty, very fluid, and most disturbing are all ways that one might describe David Fincher's Seven, a film, as all of these reviews on here will attest to, is about a serial killer-maniac killing people based on the seven deadly sins. There is little need to rehash the plot here then but what makes Seven such a good film and one of the best thrillers of the last few decades? 1). Two strong, key performances by Brad Pitt and, in particular, Morgan Freeman as New York police detectives just united as one, Pitt is coming, and the other is about to retire. Freeman and Pitt have some chemistry between them and let's face it - Freeman is just plain good at just about any role he assays. Add to this strong supporting work from Paltrow and R. Lee Ermey and especially Kevein Spacey as the killer. Spacey's voice and looks sent chills down my spine each time he was on screen. 2)David Fincher knows how to direct. This film is gross and really is selling a very seedy product as something more. Fincher makes that happen with the crisp dialog between Freeman and Pitt, the very low lighting effects throughout, the quick pacing of the film, and the depth of characterization that he allows his characters to have. 3) The story is well-conceived, well-written, and just crazy enough to be believable. The film has many scenes which are shocking and designed to be so - they succeed. But behind all that blood and seedy atmosphere lies a chess game between two police detectives - each good at what he does in a different manner - and one crazy but brilliant sociopath killer. The journey they take us on is one scary ride.