An Overblown Sermon

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2000)

If ever a movie was completely represented in one of its characters, "Se7en" was it. (possible spoilers) The two preachers of the film are John Doe, the character portrayed by Kevin Spacey, and the director, David Fincher. Fincher's film has a purpose just like that of John Doe's murders, to shock American into recognition of its major faults: its sins. Unfortunately Fincher's point is lost in his bombastic and brazen style which dominates all of his films. Fincher seems to be quite the cynic in his view of the world. In "Se7en" there's not a person in the world, or at least NYC, that's not a sinner, and we're living on a veritable hell on earth. "The Game" presents a paranoid world where no one's life and security are concrete and "Fight Club" shows us just how superficial of a culture we are. Unfortunately, Fincher also seems to be an optimist at heart, and this is where his films lose their potency. At the end of each film he tries to give some glimpse of hope. At the end of "Se7en" Morgan Freeman quotes Hemingway, saying "'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part." At the end of "The Game" it turns out the paranoia was only part of an intricate joke and "Fight Club" falls apart on itself when(among other things) it tries to present some sort of solution, which was, best as I could tell, love. If only Fincher didn't try to provide some sort of happy ending(albeit minimal as in this film) his films could be much more powerful(like Neil Labute's "In the Company of Men" and "Your Friends and Neighbors".) He makes his point and then unfortunately loses it in an overblown style and ludicrous attempts at happy endings. Compared to the rest of his work though, "Se7en" is his most effective film to date with fine performances by Freeman and Spacey.