Se7en is a Sinfully Enthralling Thriller!

Rating: 10/10 (24 March 2015)

Se7en is a nerve-jangling thriller, hauntingly shot by visionary director David Fincher, who crafts one of the most iconic films of all time.
Se7en tells the tale of a grisly serial killer who is twisted on delivering a sermon against modern depravity. He murders his victims to atone for the sins he deems them to have committed; his crimes echo the seven deadly sins namely gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, pride, wrath and lust. Tracking this gruesome killer (played with a quiet insanity that makes your flesh crawl, by an actor par excellence – no spoilers here!) is a cliché pair of cops. There's the jaded veteran Detective Lieutenant Somerset (Morgan Freeman who brings great depth and dignity to the part) who is in the last week of his employ with the police department. Partnering him is a young, eager-to-kick-some-evil-butt cop Detective Mills (Brad Pitt whose callowness works perfectly for his character). After killing an overweight man by force-feeding him to death in the name of gluttony and bleeding to death a lawyer for greed, the anonymous killer is now turning his attention to the five remaining deadly sins. As the two men investigate, the gulf between their respective world-views begins to inform everything about how they respond to the savagery of these crimes.
It is impossible to deny the potency and artistry with which Fincher executes the material. Although very little of each murder is shown, the director expertly allows suggestion to lead the appalled viewer towards the truly cataclysmic climax. Fincher's sepia-toned gloom successfully lends the film the knock-out punch it intends to. Purposely draining his landscapes of color, and setting all the tense action against rain-washed streets and under-lit interiors, Fincher evokes an atmosphere of nightmarish proportions as he unfolds a gripping tale of urban horror.
Se7en is riveting in a gut-twisting way. It plays out at an engaging pace destined to entrance you with its abject horror. The film is as dark and brutal as a film can be, without showing much actual violence. Most of the stuff in the film is implied, but it's so damn disturbing that you feel like you actually saw it. And that is the beauty of Se7en!