Great

Rating: Null/10 (14 July 2008)

Seven (1995)
**** (out of 4)
Intense and rather disturbing thriller has Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman playing detectives trying to track down a serial killer who is using the seven deadly sins as his motive. I remember seeing this the opening day in theaters and I really left the theater disappointed. While I found it a good entertainment, it never really struck me as anything great until many years later on repeat viewings. Today I think the story, acting and directing makes it one of the best films of the decade. Fincher's dark style really creates a thick and rather eerie atmosphere, which runs from the opening to closing credits. The screenplay offers up a lot of tense action but I think the key to the film is the quieter moments where we get to know the two detectives as well as Pitt's wife played by Gwyneth Paltrow. When the killer's identity is finally revealed, and I won't ruin it here, the film even lets us get to know him in perhaps the most chilling scene in the movie. I think having the violence centered around the seven deadly sins was an interesting choice and the motives and conclusion could be endlessly debated. I guess it's to be expected that Freeman and Pitt would be opposite type of characters and the screenplay doesn't take the easy way out on this but instead it uses this to bring up the energy and we're able to see the killer from two different view points, which is a rare thing in thrillers like this. Both men give excellent performances with Freeman being the older, wiser man while Pitt is still wet behind the year but trying to make his mark in the profession. I know this film was a hit when originally released but it seems like it's become a classic over the past few years and I personally wouldn't argue with anyone calling this film that. I think it gets better with each viewing in the same sense that many Hitchcock thrillers get better.