Unique detective thriller

Rating: Null/10 (27 May 2002)

This is a good film, though clearly below "The Usual Suspects" when rating films of the '90's. What makes the film stand out is its complete uniqueness. No other film comes to mind to even compare it to.
The achievement of the film is that even though it is unique, there is an undercurrent of believability about the whole thing. We know that mass murderers are a disturbing reality in modern-day life. We also know that it is not unusual for such murderers to plant clues, either consciously or subconsciously, i.e., to make it into a game played between himself and the cops.
This is what happens here, as the murders are carefully orchestrated to illustrate each one of the seven deadly sins. This is not so far out as it sounds, when you consider that we live in an era in which religious fanatics routinely blow themselves up for their cause, and routinely butcher countless thousands of their countrymen who oppose their cause in many places around the globe.
The explanation the Kevin Spacey character gives near the end of the film is entirely believable, and his performance, brief as it is, stands out. What is less believable are the performances of Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as the detectives. The cliche of the cop about to retire paired with the energetic young cop has been beaten to death, and I am sorry it was used here. This would have been a better film if it had featured two detectives working together without the baggage thrown in (Freeman with his "I'm out of here" cynicism, and Pitt with his "new in town" naivete). The interaction of the two detectives just did not seem genuine to me. Freeman was better in other films, like "Driving Miss Daisy", "The Shawshank Redemption", and "Unforgiven". And Pitt is just not one of my favorite actors.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in one of the relatively few countries of the world in which the "marketplace of ideas" concept has taken root and flourishes are accustomed to expressing our ideas verbally. For the rest of the world, however, there is a depressingly frequent resort to violent action as a way of expressing ideas. In a world in which it is almost routine for Palestinians to sneak into Israel and blow themselves up in support of their cause, it does not seem incredible that the Kevin Spacey character here would sacrifice himself to his cause. As he says, "Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."
8.5/10