The best movie of the 1990s to which all others should aspire.

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2004)

Seven is unique movie in very many respects. It belongs to that subset of movies that combines thriller with aspects of religion, though, without resorting to supernatural forces (Stigmata, Green Mile, etc.) which turn off many people, including me. The movie is indeed an epic-it is the epic of one person, a serial killer, who weaves together his seven murders with the seven deadly sins, such that each victim is a practitioner of the sin, hence making him/her complicit in his/her murder according to the murderer. Though the serial killer cannot be the protagonist by definition, the charisma that he commands and the legendary feat that he accomplished dispels the Foucaultian myth that "the Man is Dead." Just one, simple man, through ingenious plotting and scheming, creates a religiously inspired masterpiece and leaves the rest of us in "shock and awe." The darkness of the movie is unrivaled. I first saw in Turkey, and later many many times in Chicago, and the revealed darkness makes more sense in an American context. Since Bladerunner, I have not encountered a movie so dark and captivating nonetheless. Apart from the fabulous plot, characters contribute a lot to this success: Brad Pitt is the impatient, young, high tempered tragic hero, a role he will turn to many many years later in Troy. Morgan Freeman-the great detective as always. And Gywenth Paltrow does a great job as well. This movie is the defining movie-masterpiece of the 1990s and a must see for anyone.