Some scenes are worth seeing

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 1999)

What can I say? I can see why this movie was recommended to me after I admitted that 'Silence of the Lambs' was one of my favorite movies. "Seven" features an interesting premise (an intelligent serial killer chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins) and some pretty cool, very dark plot twists. However, in my mind there is no comparison between "Seven" and "Silence," and most of this judgment comes from the acting ability (or lack thereof) displayed. Kevin Spacey is the only worthy actor in the bunch, and his performance is great. Though I've seen Morgan Freeman in better roles -- he doesn't do much here. Gwyneth was fine, but nothing special -- she was better in "Shakespeare in Love." And finally, at the risk of being attacked, I would just like to say that Brad Pitt does not have much acting ability, and it is painfully obvious here. His forced whining and yelling *almost* spoiled the last scene for me. I say *almost* because I find the entire last part of the movie (the part with Kevin Spacey, incidentally) very well-written and worth seeing. Spacey's character, "John Doe," is extremely creepy and his lines are well-written and even funny at times. He is everyone's worst nightmare vision of a serial killer -- insane and dangerous, yet rational and calculating. Spacey's voice is exactly right for the part -- it gave me chills. Other than the last scene (the car, the desert), the movie is gruesome, often too dark, and badly acted. The concept is a good one, however, and it is done justice. Check out the way the "pride" victim is set up -- it's genius. If you're a fan of Kevin Spacey, you won't be dissatisfied by the end of the movie. He's basically why I saw it. Caution, though : Brad needs SERIOUS acting lessons. Or maybe he's had too many -- everything he does here seems forced