a classic of the horror, thriller genre

Rating: Null/10 (12 May 2001)

this movie easily ranks in my top 10 of all time. for one thing, the cast was brillant. Brad Pitt did a wonderful job as the young, eneregic cop thats hot on the trail of the killer. Morgan freeman also gave a strong performance as the "wise old owl" cop so to say. gwyneth paltrow also had a strong preformance in the limited screen time. kevin spacey was the key to this film. very seldom does spacey not speak a line that is well thought out and has meaning to it. he makes you feel his character. the question through the movie is whether John doe, the killer, is insane or if he's a normal guy like you and me. at one point david mills (Brad Pitt) asks John doe, " do you wake up in the morning and say, wow its amazing how f***in crazy i really am" to which Doe answers, "it makes you feel comfortable to label me as crazy, doesnt it" and mills replies with a simple, " yes very comfortable". i thought this was a brillant scene as you makes you think that maybe this killer isnt insane, maybe he just wants to prove a point. he could be as normal as you and me but he believes in something so strongly that he's willing to kill and be killed for others to "see" it. i also thought this movie had ties to 8 millimeter. in 8 millimeter the killer or killers were normal people, they killed because they liked it and because they could. i think is kind of the same thing in seven. although John doe proclaims he's a "chosen one" and he does not want to kill, he proclaims he is not insane, no one molested him as a child, no one abused him. overall this is just a brillant film. the mood set in this film is perfect. almost every scene involves rain which leaves a dark, depressing mood which is perfect for the plot. the murders are detailed and well thought out. i would certainly recommend this movie to anyone who loves horror and others who want to see a true bred classic.