The Zeroth Sin

Rating: 6/10 (6 September 2012)

Let's skip the outline (it's everywhere here). Instead, let's start with some quality points: (++), (+), (0), (-) and (--).
Excellent (++): Morgan Freeman (didn't surprise me; anyone?). Gwyneth Paltrow (the way she plays her relatively small role is anything but defective). And surely the dialog, practically all along, but particularly when Somerset (Freeman) and Tracy (Paltrow) talk heart to heart (trust me, at that moment, even the screen smokes).
Good (+): directing, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, camera work, editing, the way the movie depicts the police' daily life--along with the questionable approach they've sometimes got to take... (The good points are quite aplenty. But considering the space, we've just got to stop here).
So and so (0): screenplay (this is sort of a bargained price; we'll get back to this at the very end).
Bad/weak/silly (-): Somewhat aplenty. We pick one up, just so that you kind reader see my point of what magnitude a (-) might look like. The blood on the killer's shirt. Look again: chop, then ask some delivery guy to deliver the package (500 bucks), take a cab, and on to the police station (he need to BE there). All in THAT shirt. How discreet! The poor guy must be wondering why he didn't attract any attention at all along the way--even up inside the station's lobby (now I know why he's never got caught: he's invisible!). And profile-wise, he always messes up his victims, but never himself. A real turnoff.
Sinful (--): the element of danger.
It's mental. Without danger, there's no fear, suspense (and so forth). And when do we SENSE danger? When we feel that something/someone is THREATENING us--or anybody/anything we care about (our very existence, purpose, grounds, close ones, heroes, etc). In the movie, we never REALLY feel the fear, because no one ever FEELS threatened (not when it still matters, anyway). Yes, we did SEE 'threat' once, in the chase (UPON the culprit, with the fear of being caught). But we ONLY saw that--NOT felt, because somehow the one we felt at that moment was Mills (not the culprit). And our good cop is not being threatened, he threatens, and forgiven(!)--right when we're just about to feel his (or anybody's) fear in the whole movie (the chase itself is good, mind you; it's about the ever-elusive element of danger throughout the movie that I'm referring to all along). And yes, we do feel (strong) feeling once. That cafe talk, surely. But the talk (however good) is about worry, and the motif is love. So it doesn't fall into the fear-danger-threat sense we're talking about. What I'm saying is--whilst not fatally wounded, this middleweight not-a-whodunnit-noir-featured police story is, seriously injured.
There is a much simpler way to look at this issue. Try. WHERE? An unnamed city. OK, we go there--we're in (shake hands with some characters if that makes you feel better). WHAT? A sick crime. OK, focus on it. Now take a few steps back (don't turn around, and keep standing). The purpose of this antic is that now we've got a bigger frame--now we can see the whole city (people, alleys, rooms--everything). OK, now pinpoint someone (anyone) whom you WITNESS ever feels threatened by DANGER.
The funny thing about the city is that, despite the shocking nature of the crime, our two heroes seem to be the only souls who take it seriously. Others (be it someone in the Force or just common townspeople) are barely aware of it (if at all). We might even find the city peaceful (albeit gloomy). We don't really have a CHANCE to worry about anyone's safety because apart from a few segments (like the writing behind the fridge--which is a bit minor, and the tracking down of John Doe's ID--which is quite snappy), cards are laid down on the table as preliminaries (when the game hasn't really started yet) or as post-mortem analyses (when the session is over). We always miss the game. Now we can't really play along or feel the heat if we don't INVOLVE IN THE PROCESS, can we? Don't get me wrong. Seven does have many strong points, indeed (otherwise the blunder would've murdered the movie mercilessly). I'm only saying that it's not suspenseful, at least not in the way I think it's supposed to be (sometimes it's more like doing a character study or reading a homicide paperwork). And if any part of the movie did ever scare you in anyway, check again, maybe you had mixed up fear with other like entities (pity, empathy, sympathy, disgust, dislike, anger etc). Really, we're never been the eyewitness because no SCENE ever really poses a THREAT. And in a movie like this, it is a Sin. Cardinal. So while the screenplay does score (especially if we get down to technicalities), it commits the biggest sin of all--leaving out the very drive paramount in our existence: SURVIVAL.