Slightly overrated...

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2005)

I think "Seven" is an excellent crime drama with great acting, script, cinematography and score. Somehow though, it hasn't held up (for me) over time and repeated viewings as well as it should. I just viewed it again today, and although enjoying it I no longer get the 'kick' I once did. Once the ending is known, it definitely loses some of its power. See the ending more than a few times, and that loss starts to extend over the last 20 minutes of the film as well (starting from the time the killer turns himself in).
Something about the style of the film hasn't held up that wonderfully either, or maybe it's just been over-used at this point and feels tired. It could even be that I've gotten so jaded about "stylish" films that they're all starting to look a little bit pretentious.
I noticed there's a bit of recent backlash to all the "10 star" ratings and cult status of this film. Not unexpected, and maybe the reasons I've given above have something to do with it as well. As moviegoers, we've seen this kind of film a bit too often now, and it's lost some of its power to frighten or shock.
Anyway, I'd still rate this movie highly, but I'm not so sure it's a masterpiece. A very good movie, yes. Worth watching, without a doubt (particularly if you enjoy this genre). Somehow I can envision John Malkovich playing the "John Doe" role... he might have done very well, and certainly would have been interesting in the role.