Disturbing with a Loaded Cast

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2008)

The seven deadly sins are the subject of David Fincher's enormously popular and cult hit Se7en. On a side note, I'm not sure how a 7 looks like the letter V but we digress, I suppose. Moving on, this film is both terrifying and tragic, and offers a wonderful detective story with two great performances. Morgan Freeman plays Detective William Somerset, a patient and by-the-book officer, who makes decisions with care but is not afraid to act instinctively. Brad Pitt plays Detective David Mills, the antithesis to Freeman's deductive Somerset. Mills is rash and often acts impulsively. The interaction between these two characters develops along with the twisting plot of the film, centering upon murders based upon the seven cardinal sins.
The film is at its core a detective story with two very different men trying to work with each other to find a serial killer. Like a Silence of the Lambs, this film uses its characters to develop the plot since it is the inherent weaknesses of each victim that the murderer bases his kills upon. Like the detectives, we similarly uncover each murder and sin, each becoming more grisly than the former. The film does force us to think a little and make heads and tails of the whole situation. Do we feel sympathy for these victims who are extreme embodiments of each respective sin? It's questions like these that make Se7en such a thought provoker. It is disturbing and relentless, barely giving a breather to the viewer. Either the two are discovering a murder or they are fervently trying to connect the dots. The suspense is great and helps the film nicely overall.
The performances turned in by the cast are for the most part, well done. Freeman plays a little too close to the chest but even so, he does a good job portraying an intelligent and conservative detective. Pitt does an outstanding job and gets stronger and stronger as the film progresses. He really is an officer that I loved to hate so bravo on a job well done. On the other hand, Gwyneth Paltrow's performance as Mills' wife, Tracy, is boring and heavy-handed. Both a symptom of the writing and Paltrow's mediocre acting, Tracy ends up being a character hard to sympathize with or even feel good for. This does ultimately end up hurting the film towards the end and it's a shame too. There are some surprises and twists here so I won't spoil them but do be wary.
While the screen writing and characters are fairly strong, the cinematography is all over the place. The murder scenes are haunting and baleful, and add a great layer to the film without being gratuitously grotesque. However, in other parts, the camera work is not up to par and the film suffers. The whole ending sequence is mishandled by the camera crew and ends up ruining the whole mystique. The score is powerful when it needs to be and subtle when it needs to be. In any case, it is not tremendously memorable but it does give atmosphere to certain scenes. Some of the dialogue is memorable especially the closing lines of the film, which help the film finish well.
Overall, Se7en, (still don't get the 7 in the middle) is a good strong film that will disturb and is likely not for the faint of heart. There are strong performances, unsettling sequences and an overall moody score that does bolster the visuals. However, a sloppy ending, some unfulfilled promise from an all-star cast, and some suspect camera work at times, keep this film from truly being great. Definitely a film worth checking out though and one that tells a good story with good characters.