Darkly thrilling

Rating: 8/10 (13 April 2000)

This is without doubt one of the most stylish, yet simply frightening films to be made in a long time. Major credit for this film must be given to David Fincher, this film owes its success as much to his style and direction as it does anything else. This film has it all: a very good cast, great style, a good plot with some great twists, and a good dose of gore for flavour. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are well cast as the leads, Freeman delivering yet another polished performance as the battle hardened mentor, and Pitt showing promise as the brash young detective. Undoubtedly a highlight for me was the chilling performance of Kevin Spacey, showing his immense talent in a brilliant cameo as John Doe, a villain on par with Hopkin's Hannibal Lecter. A certain Ms Paltrow gives a solid performance as Pitt's beautiful young wife, but Spacey set the tone. The dark tones of most scenes are perfect in setting the mood of the film, and are used well by Fincher. A very good plot and screenplay, coupled with an original idea, combine with the cast and style to create a most unforgettable movie, and one of the most intense cinematic experiences in recent memory. 8 out of 10.