It's great, but you'll want to jump in the shower after it's done

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2017)

This is exactly why I hold fast to the idea of a second look, particularly when it comes to movies. "Seven" is Exhibit A, and what I'd remembered about it over the last twenty-odd years was the mindscrew ending - as well as the omnipresent rain and dingy interiors, a world I don't want to stick around in.
But within that hopeless environment is a deeply unnerving thriller and even a good cop drama. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are well-defined characters; theirs is an abrasive relationship but a good one to focus on as the world festers around them. The horrors in this movie run the gamut from shock to viewer's imagination; and as ghastly as those crime scenes are, they're handled with serious skill. And then there's the ending, a magic act that could've failed so easily, yet holds up amazingly well.
It's surprising that such an ugly, wet and claustrophobic movie was filmed in Southern California. And that wretched setting gets under my skin. Who knows when I'll sit down to watch this again, but it surprised me as an adult.
8/10