Ruthless

Rating: Null/10 (22 April 2000)

Every time I heard about Se7en, I heard about the shocking ending. Finally, I rented it, not wanting to find out about the ending somewhere else. (Which, I found out when it came, I already knew from an MTV Movie Award spoof [damn them]). But I must say, I was still shocked and terrified.

Detective Somerset (Freeman) is nearing the end of his career as a detective when he is assigned to the case of some gruesome murders, with rookie detective Mills (Pitt). As Somerset and Mills continue a helpless investigation, it becomes evident that the murders are based on the Seven Deadly Sins, and the two detectives must fight to stop this killer before he strikes again..and again...and again.
A ruthless, bleak movie. I was numb by the end of it. For the most part, towards the beginning, the only thing that distinguished this from any other detectives-after-a-serial-killer movie (which there are far too many of) was how gruesome the murders were, and the fact that the primary female character, in this film Mill's wife Tracy (Paltrow), wasn't sent to stay with her mother halfway into the film. The murders themselves were quite disgusting, one guy being fed spaghetti until he died (which can either be sort of silly, or just downright disgusting) and one woman whose face was cut off, and then, while still alive, given the option of calling the police and living with a disfigurement, or overdosing on sleeping pills and putting herself out of her misery. All of this is implied after the fact, but it's still just as terrifying, and just as revolting. The acting is all quite impressive, especially from Morgan Freeman, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey, who played the killer. Brad Pitt was alright; I didn't expect much from him, other than long spouts of profanity, which he allowed to the audience countless times. As for the climax...it was as shocking as reputated. I can't give anything away, but it was extremely well-written, especially in the final outcome, and also extremely tragic, and tragic only for how much the audience wouldn't have wanted the truth of the climax to be so. But those were some of the most tense scenes, leading up to the delivery. I could barely sit still. And after the movie ends, you're only left to think and be shocked.
I do recommend this, but only for those who can handle such a bleak, tragic, brutal movie. If anything, it's one to be seen to be believed.