As good as they come

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2010)

When it comes to genres being overdone in Hollywood, the Murder-Mystery is at the top of the list, and only a select few "heavy hitters" come to mind. The film most widely accepted as the best murder mystery is "The Silence Of The Lambs", which I would have to agree as well as "Rear Window" and a few others, but where "Seven" stands out in this genre compared to others is in the film's dark, innate ability to tell a gruesome murder story set in a crime addled side of New York City. The character interactions are incredibly played out as well as it's cinematography, but this film is so dark, grisly and shocking that you literally CAN'T look away from the screen for the two hours it plays out, it grabs your attention like a drill instructor at boot camp and doesn't let go until it's over. The cinematography was captured beautifully and reminded me slightly of "The Dark Knight". Take note though; this ISN'T your average murder mystery, at many parts it is VERY disturbing and is most definitely not for kids, but what makes it so good is the gritty unrelenting realism of crime in the big city. "Seven" is so well done and has so many twists and turns in it, that I constantly found myself at the mercy of the surprises. Even at the end when you expect the story to take on a lighter path and maybe show a little redemption, it gets even darker and more sinister. After Morgan Freemans' monologue at the end you get the overwhelming sense of the true realism this story has to offer over all others of it's kind. I have to say that when it comes to murder mysteries "Seven" is as good as they come.