Se7en is suspenseful and contains performances that scream for award attention

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 2010)

Se7en is the very interesting film about a serial killer using the seven deadly sins to kill his victims. That part of the plot alone should urge you to want to see the film, period. It's such an original concept. The writing goes farther than just the psycho killer stuff. It's much deeper and more emotional than that. From start to finish you never feel distant from the characters or the story.
From watching the Siskel and Ebert review I started watching this expecting to get this NC- 17 material that slid past it's R rating. I'm not sure I understand why everyone thought Se7en was incredibly disturbing. Is it? Yes. But you don't see any of the actual murders, just the aftermath. Then again, I am very used to disturbing elements in films, so I may have an immunity to it.
The performances from it's leads are the backbone for the film. Freeman and Pitt, very different roles, very different performances. Freeman's performance is nuanced, but still as effective as Pitt's, who has the showy, obnoxious role. He never fails to show us his intensity. Kevin Spacey's extended cameo here stands out as one of the best performances of 1995. With not even 10 minutes of screen time, Spacey walks away with the film.
Se7en is a suspenseful film, but I look at it more intellectually, rather the entertainment value, though it's very entertaining. It's not as scary as many people think. You're not getting a Scream or Halloween here. You don't see much of the violence...you get to imagine it in your head. And that's what's most frightening.
Mesmerizing from beginning to end. It's close to perfect, what is keeping it from being perfect? I'm not sure, it's some weird conflict at the beginning of the film. It doesn't drag you in at first, necessarily. Other than that, you must see it for it's performances and story, also the editing is so tight it's chilling; 9.5