Se7en

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2005)

'He is preaching.punishing'.
Serial killing with clues from killer is not a new thing to Hollywood but David Fincher's Se7en exceptional. Its evil genius. Se7en opens with a homicide where a fatso is killed in a very strange manner. We meet Detective Somerset(Freeman) who is about to take off and detective David Mills(Pitt) has just fought to get assigned there. Somerset is calm, mature and has achieved mastery over his job. He probably seen so much that now he badly wants to go far away from this bloodshed. David appears cocky first but turns out amiable character of the film. Tracey(Palthow) is David's wife who hasn't got used to with guns even after so many years of their marriage.
It begins. Each killing is shockingly repellent. Like an artist's signature every victim holds a note, a sin highlighted with lines from Dante Alighieri' s 'Divine Comedy', Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice'. And his name is John Doe(Kevin Spacey). Those lines are screaming that this not just some insanity. He wants to make a point.
Each murder is done by reaching horrific extremes of those deadly sins. A fat man is fed until he burst. Then there is an infamous lawyer got gun stuck on his head, handed a knife -a weighing scale is in front of him and he has to cut 1 pound of flesh from his body by himself. A druggist tied to bed for a whole year!! A famous model, her nose is cut and bandaged again and gave a choice- phone in one hand to call help n sleeping pills in other one to die rather than live deformed. A whore is punished ruthlessly that you should see on screen only. John says, "The world is so shittyand we get used to them".
This Script is sumptuous. It mirrors today's society skillfully and boldly. Nothing is hidden by the camera. All we watch is naked truth that we hate to admit and most of the time that we hardly care. The spirituality woven in has its impact all over. Most of all ending is a blow. It is stunning.
There are number of memorable sequences in Seven. One especially is breath-taking when Somerset and Mills reaches John doe's apartment and Doe directly starts shooting at them and chase sequence followed is absolute fabulous. On other hand dinner party at Mills house we feel wine mixed in the air. Tracey and Somerset's meeting at coffee shop is the finest ones I ever seen. The intensity of that conversation can't be described.
This is a very dark film. It is all time raining. All environment surrounding Se7en is so grim and ghastly it clouds viewers with the same. Music refuse to leave us even when it is over. I must mention titles and credits rolled, one of the best I ever seen.
Se7en comes out with strong performances. Morgan Freeman is truly outstanding. Brad Pitt made me his fan from this movie. The way he says "Ladies and Gentleman we have a homicide here" and same David when taunted by Somerset "You are saying you care for these people?" says with assuring impulse "Sure I do.!!!". Gwyneth Paltrow 's Tracey doesn't have much screen presence but when she is there, we just can not stop love her character. In final half an hour we are introduced to Kevin Spacey's John Doe. The preacher. What can I say about this chilling work? Spacey gave such a performance that stings. We hate to admit with this man but somewhere we know he is right. Somerset asks him, "So you are saying some higher power tell you to do this?" Just watch John Doe reply "Lord works in mysterious ways..". Interesting thing pointed out by one of the fan is Somerset and John Doe both observed the same facts about today's society but responds in different ways, Somerset want to run away and Doe takes action.
No matter how many thrillers I shall see but this will always one of my favorites. It affects deeply. That's the power of Se7en. Se7en is a terrific thriller and a modern classic.