Se7en

Rating: 9/10 (19 September 2005)

From director David Fincher (Alien³, Fight Club, Panic Room), I had heard about the film, seen one or two clips, and heard about things go on and the concept, so I was really when I finally watched it. Basically two homicide detectives are partnered to investigate a series of homicides. They are soon-to-retire Detective Lt. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and short-tempered but enthusiastic replacement Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), who has recently moved to the city with his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). The murders are inspired by the seven deadly sins: Gluttony (overindulgence and overconsumption), Greed (or Avarice, the desire and pursuit of material possessions), Sloth (habitual disinclination to exertion, or laziness), Pride (or Vanity, the irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments), Lust (or Lechery, intense longing), Envy (jealousy for another person's good fortune) and Wrath (or Anger, uncontrolled feelings of rage, even hatred). A man was forced to eat until his stomach ruptured, representing Gluttony, and a defence attorney was killed after a pound of flesh was taken from him, representing Greed. Clues at the murder scenes lead them to a suspect's apartment, where they find the third victim, a child molester and drug dealer, strapped to bed and starved to death, representing Sloth. Photographs of the third victim were taken over a year ago, showing that the crimes were planned far in advance. Somerset and Mills use various literal sources to identify anything related to the seven deadly sins, including John Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno, and through library records they identify a man called Jonathan "John" Doe, and track him to his apartment. Does flees as they arrive, Mills gives chase, Doe holds him at gunpoint for a moment before escaping. After breaking into the apartment, Mills and Somerset find it contains hundreds of notebooks revealing the psychotic nature of Doe, as well as a clue to another murder. The detectives arrive too late to stop a man forced to kill a prostitute by raping her with a custom-made bladed strap-on, representing Lust. The following day the fifth victim, a female model is found dead with her face mutilated, Doe gave her the choice of calling for help and living disfigured, or committing suicide by taking pills, representing Pride. As Somerset and Mills return to the station, John Doe (Kevin Spacey) turns himself in, covered in the blood of an unidentified victim, he cannot be properly identified, as he has removed his own fingerprints, meaning he literally is "John Doe" (anonymous). Doe offers to take the detectives to the final two victims, but only under specific terms, or he will plead insanity, Somerset is wary, but Mills agrees. The detectives follow Doe's directions to a remote desert location, while a helicopter follows them. Soon after their arrival, a delivery van approaches, Mills holds Doe at gunpoint while Somerset stops the van, the driver has been instructed to deliver a box to them. Doe taunts Mills by telling him how he admires and is jealous of his life with Tracy, he himself is representing Envy. Somerset opens the box, he is shocked by its contents and warns Mills to stay back, Doe states that he killed Tracy, her head is in the box, and he reveals that she was pregnant. Despite warning Mills that Doe will win if he kills him, Mills shoots Doe, fulfilling the final murder, and himself representing Wrath, in the end the devastated Mills is taken away. Also starring Full Metal Jacket's R. Lee Ermey as Police Captain, Scrubs' John C. McGinley as the California SWAT team leader, Richard Roundtree as District Attorney Martin Talbot, Richard Schiff as Mark Swarr, Mark Boone Junior as Greasy FBI Man, Reg E. Cathey as Dr. Santiago and Speed's Hawthorne James as George the Night Guard at the Library. Freeman is great as the dignified and credible detective on the brink of retirement, and he is equally matched by the raw but idealistic Pitt, Paltrow is alright in her short time, and Spacey steals the last few scenes as the psychopathic killer. This is a really clever and sophisticated postmodern movie, the script and narrative is daring, the murders and violence are disturbing, you follow the mystery unfolding, there is a jump or two along the way (the man strapped to the bed thought to be dead suddenly waking is a good one), the use of dark colouring and underlighting adds to the bleakness, and the twist ending is fantastic, it is just a marvellous must see crime thriller. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Film Editing, and it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. Brad Pitt was number 15, Morgan Freeman number 27, and Kevin Spacey number 4 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Pitt was also number 5 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, he number 52 on The 100 Greatest Pop Culture Icons, and he was number 30 The World's Greatest Actors, and the film was number 14 on The 100 Greatest Scary Moments. Very good!