Se7en

Plot synopsis:
In an unidentified city of constant rain and urban decay, Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is preparing to retire and leave the horrors of the city. Before he retires, he is partnered with Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), a cocky, young and short-tempered cop from Springfield, a comparatively small town. The two investigate the murder of a highly obese man (Bob Mack) who was fed spaghetti until a kick to his stomach burst him open. Somerset investigates the murder while Mills is given the murder case of Defense Attorney Eli Gould (Gene Borkan), with GREED written in Gould's blood on the floor. Gould was forced to carve a pound of flesh off of his body, and subsequently bled to death. The police captain gives Somerset an evidence container with three slivers of a plastic-like material found in the stomach of the obese man, which he was forced to consume along with the spaghetti. Going to the victim's house, Somerset finds three groove marks in front of the refrigerator and finds that the plastic-like slivers fit into them perfectly. Knowing the slivers resulted from the refrigerator being moved, Somerset looks behind it. He finds the word GLUTTONY written behind the fridge in grease, along with a note containing a quote from Milton's Paradise Lost. Somerset theorizes that a serial killer is basing his crimes on the Seven Deadly Sins, with five more to go.To give Mills and Somerset a chance to get along with each other, Mills's wife, Tracy Mills (Gwyneth Paltrow) invites Somerset over for dinner. While they are eating, a train passes by on the track nearby, making the building and all its contents and inhabitants tremble: the couple mention that that's why the realtor was so nervous for them to see the apartment quickly. After Tracy goes to bed, Mills and Somerset examine case evidence from the two scenes. They find a picture of Gould's wife with blood painted around the eyes. Realizing that this means she is supposed to spot something about the murder scene that nobody else would, the detectives have a distraught Mrs. Gould (Julie Araskog) look at the pictures in a safe house and she notices an abstract painting that is upside down. Brushing powder on the wall behind the painting, Somerset finds fingerprints outlining the words "Help Me."After running the fingerprints through AFIS, the prints are traced a day later to a pedophile named Victor (Michael Reid MacKay), who escaped conviction for the rape of a minor due to the efforts of his lawyer, Eli Gould, the GREED victim. SWAT and the detectives raid his apartment and find Victor to be the SLOTH victim, having been bound to his bed for one year to the day, as evidenced by pictures at the scene; one taken every day from the day he is discovered. Remarkably, he is still alive but suffering from severe physical and mental deterioration. His hand was cut off and pushed onto the wall behind the painting to leave the prints. Mills and Somerset ask to interrogate Victor in the hospital, but the doctor says that he's chewed off his tongue and that "his brain is mush" from the ordeal.That evening, Tracy calls Somerset and requests that he meet with her. The next morning, Somerset meets Tracy in a diner where she tells him how miserable she is in "the city." At Somerset's urging, Tracy reveals the truth of her request to meet: she is pregnant, afraid of raising a child where they now live and afraid of telling David. Somerset advises her to tell her husband only if she decides to have it, and he sets himself as an example: he insisted his partner have an abortion, that he finally convinced her, and now he is remorseful.Later that day, using a contact in the FBI, Somerset gets a library list of people who have borrowed books related to the Seven Deadly Sins. The list leads the detectives to a man named John Doe, whose apartment they visit soon after. Doe, his face hidden, sees them as he comes home, pulls out a gun and begins shooting. After a short chase, Doe hits Mills with a tire iron, keeps him subdued at gunpoint, but lets him live and suddenly flees.While examining Doe's apartment (after bribing a resident to claim she had called the detectives about Doe) they find notebooks of his thoughts, trophies of the crimes and a picture of Mills fighting off Doe, who, at the time, was posing as a press photographer. John Doe calls the apartment and congratulates the detectives on them finding him and apologizes for hitting Mills, also telling the young detective that he "admires" him greatly. Their actions, he says, have caused him to change his plans, and he hangs up. They also find a photo of a young woman, a prostitute (Cat Mueller), who they believe may be the next victim. A receipt leads them to a S&M leather shop where Doe placed an order for a sexual device. The girl is soon found dead in a room with LUST written on the door. Also found in the room is a visibly shaken man (Leland Orser) forced by Doe at gunpoint to wear and use the device, a large strap-on dildo with a blade attachment, to rape and kill the girl. The owner of the place, Wild Billy (Martin Serene) can give no clue to the physical aspect or the briefcase John Doe used, as every customer used to carry special clothes or equipment into the place.The next morning, a model (Heidi Schanz) is found dead with PRIDE written on the crime scene. Her nose has been cut off ("to spite her face") upon which Doe gave her the choice of suicide by sleeping pills or calling for help and living scarred. She chose the former, and swallowed the pills. As the detectives return to the police headquarters, John Doe walks up to them, his hands bleeding (he shaved the skin from his fingertips to avoid identification) and gives himself up. He talks to his lawyer and agrees that if he can take Somerset and Mills to two more bodies, he will confess to all the murders. Wanting a confession, the detectives agree. Somerset and Mills both have microphones taped to their chests so the rest of the task force can monitor their conversation with Doe. During the prep, Mills tries to tell Somerset about a concern he has with Tracy, but can't bring himself to talk fully about it.As the three travel to the desert outskirts of the city in a car, they are trailed by a police helicopter for security (flown by John Santin and James Deeth). Doe explains his rationale behind the murders as a way of showing people the truly evil nature of the world, as well as his desire to punish the wicked. He goes on to say he will be remembered and admired for what he has done, having been "chosen" to do so. As Doe speaks, the disgusted Mills is driven to rage, and screams at Doe while Somerset remains calmly worried.Once they reach the outskirts, Doe directs them to a specific spot near some power cable towers. The detectives walk Doe out to an open spot. After a few moments, a van appears and Somerset stops it several hundred yards away, leaving Mills behind to cover Doe. The driver (Richmond Arquette) claims someone paid him $500 to deliver a box to Mills at this place at exactly 7 o'clock. As Somerset opens the box, he recoils in horror from what he sees inside. As he races back to Mills and desperately yells for him to throw his gun away, Doe states to Mills that he admires Mills's life, to the point of being envious of his wife and the love they share. He states that he tried to "play husband" with Tracy that day but it didn't work out and he took a souvenir instead: "her pretty head." It was Doe's plan that Mills will kill him, as Doe himself was guilty of ENVY, as he became jealous of Mills's simpler life. He also reveals to Mills that Tracy was pregnant, and that she begged to be kept alive for the child's sake. Mills, despite the pleading of Somerset, is so devastated by his wife's death and the knowledge that she was pregnant, that he empties his gun into Doe. In killing Doe in vengeance, Mills comes to embody the sin of WRATH, completing Doe's "masterpiece."After a catatonic Mills is taken away, their captain tells Somerset that they'll "take care of Mills," knowing the jury will condemn him. Somerset answers, "Whatever he needs". He also tells his captain that he will be "around;" implying that he will be staying on the force. As the camera pans out from the desert, the movie ends with Somerset quoting Ernest Hemingway: "'The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."

Tags: dark, suspenseful, gothic, murder, neo noir, mystery, psychological, dramatic, cult, violence, horror, atmospheric, plot twist, insanity, philosophical, tragedy, revenge, sadist

Review:
The movie, "Se7en", starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow, is by far one of the most inventive, well-written, and cerebral films in recent history.
Se7en is uniquely on its own for suspense dramas as it both fuels the need of the audience to be drawn in and entertained by the events unfolding, and remain uncompromising and shocking, thus satisfying the initial vision of the director, David Fincher.The story surrounds the hunt for a serial killer, who, inspired by Dante Alighieri's seven deadly sins from "The Divine Comedy", sets out to, "preach" about man's impurity, and does so by targeting victims, then torturing them by pitting their own underlining sins against them.
But its only the first of a string of ritual murders that will be committed by a killer who is basing his crimes on the seven deadly sins as depicted in Dante's "The divine comedy".To begin with, Se7en appears to be a standard "cops on the trail of a killer" story which shouldn't be too difficult for the audience to get comfortable with.
For the camera work specially altered film stock was used to make the visuals look as dark and unsettling as possible which is complemented well by Howard Shores music score.The Most disturbing message that Se7en puts across, is that the fight against evil is destined to be a Pyrrhic victory.
(It is left to his partner Mills to find this out the hard way).Working on us to reinforce this world as Somerset sees it is the film's astounding mise-en-scene, a disturbing film-noir setting developed by director David Fincher and cinematographer Darius Khondji.
His brooding acting style fits the character (Detective William Somerset) like a glove, and Gwyneth Paltrow gives her best performance EVER in the role of Brad Pitt's supportive wife/lover (Tracy Mills).
It makes subtle moral judgements without insulting any beliefs that the viewer may have and it also generates debate for any post-film coffee/drinks gathering.Andrew Kevin Walker (Screenplay) has taken the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins and he really puts a great new twist on these themes.
This dark tale of murder and crime revolves around two detectives in present New York city played by two brilliant actors `Brad Pitt' and `Morgan Freeman' who are paired together to solve a puzzle of murder that is at the hands of a man who kills regarding to the seven deadly sins.
David Fincher's masterpiece really gives us an opportunity of a lifetime, maybe it's one that we don't all wish to share, but by seeing this movie you will experience a glimpse of the horrors that this world is filled with, and a small piece of mind of a man who you only prey you never have to meet.Brad Pitt successfully proves to us that he's not just a pretty face on screen, and that he sinks into his character so well, that you can walk off after the film finishes classifying him as a pretty darn good actor.You wouldn't expect anything else from Morgan Freeman because it's perfectly obvious that this guy was born to play the roles of the smart detective.David Fincher's timeless directing and memorable filming captures all the goods that this film has to offer and will undoubtedly leave you shocked and begging for more films like this.
Seven is a step into the harsh realities of life, a realistic portrayal of two detectives investigation into the un-describable horrific world murder, and the darkest realms of the human soul.We can only prey for more classic memorable work from Mr. Fincher and for those future directors who are intent on making a gothic, psychological thriller, make sure you sit down and watch Seven with a pen and paper ready to take notes..
The two main characters played by Morgan Freeman and  Brad Pitt are presented as an unlikely police-couple that are different  in many ways from each other but in a way that is also what makes them  such a great couple.
The two characters are also brilliantly acted by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt (probably his best performance).There's one odd flaw in the film - about half-way through, I found that I had learned to "expect the unexpected" from the film, which meant that the rest of the film was predictable in a bizarre way - simply decide where the expected move would be, and then expect the unexpected move instead.
The most obvious instance of this is in the finale itself, which could be guessed at least 5 minutes ahead of time.Normally, this would be a formula for disaster - but fortunately, the high quality of the film-making twists the film into an edge-of-the-seat suspenseful waiting game as we watch with horror the one cop's encounter with the insanity of pure evil.I didn't want to admire this film (to be honest, I dislike Brad Pitt something fierce), but I'm afraid I must - very professionally made, it delivers its promised suspense all the way..
R. Lee Ermey is as good as ever and it's a sign of how good the cast is that actors of the stature of Charles Dutton and John C McGinley are basically in roles that barely count as cameos.However the best performance is from Kevin Spacey in the years before he became an Oscar lovie and stopped doing bad guys or dark characters.
Se7en is a reflection of our everyday life, we live in a world filled with media & information technology which makes people often live beside each other instead of with each other, even though the serial killer is portrayed as the devil in this movie i can empathize with his feelings/opinion about seeing sins on every corner of the streets.
The intellectual, patient personality that's Sommerset & the young rebellious "let's dance" Mills really contrast each other, creating interesting character development.We as the audience are confronted with biblical/religious statements throughout progress of the film concerning homocide cases, if Sommerset had to choose a playing card then he'd retire as soon as possible, he's been doing detective work for way to long, but however he does get motivated by the unusual case of 7 sins that are about to unfold including all the plot twists & turns.Se7en has been directed with unusual grimmy & dark look, during the film it's constantly raining, as if time never seems to change the mood is captured with great directorial vision, the dark & wet apartments that seem to be abandonded for ages, a combination of brown & black colors recreating a new kind of innovative film noir, consciously leading us to unique cinematographic history.Sommerset comes to terms with our serial killer John Doe & even though they might agree on certain points when it comes to the subject of everyday life, these 2 characters are worlds apart at the same time, in a sense that John Doe murders his victims using the 7 deadly sins.Pacing of this movie is nice but if you're expecting a big action movie, perhaps you're better of watching a vin diesel (XXX) movie.
We're invited by the director to be intellectually stimulated, while the story develops we must think along, asking ourselves new questions about every single horror murder committed as we go.With that said the film is in my humble opinion highly recommended, especially if you're a fan of the acting skills of Brad Pitt & Morgan Freeman, it's got quality(not much though)action, dark mood, acting, story development, character development, mystery, among others.
Even though not for the faint hearted, since some scenes of the committed murders are visually shocking to say the least (adult rated), Se7en is a great police drama by director David Fincher.
The killer in this movie picks his victims according to the seven deadly sins, which if you don't know are: greed, gluttony, lust, pride, wrath, envy, and sloth.
Interestingly, I've seen most of the main characters in movies that I liked better: Kevin Spacey appeared in The Usual Suspects; Brad Pitt in Twelve Monkeys (although he also did a fine job here); and Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption..
I saw this film in an empty cinema with a mate and I came out with chills, Kevin spacey plays his role amazingly same as Morgan freeman and Brad Pitt and could watch this film over and over and it would never get boring!
Morgan Freeman was excellent, not just because he's a great actor, but because in this movie he was different than the "optimistic, nature-loving" characters he usually plays.
Together they try to find a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his M.O. Meanwhile Mills' wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) fears for her husband's life and is very depressed.Dark and depressing but just fascinating.
But throughout the story, Detective Mills (Pitt) and Detective Somerset (Freeman) will set up on a case that is horrendous and enigmatic: a serial killer roams the city with the Capital Sins as basis to create his assassinations.
Somerset is about to retire, and he knows what he deals with his job, Morgan Freeman with his tired eyes show you everything the character has seen among his trail.As the play is opened; the killer behind the murders shows to be analytical and intelligent and he isn't afraid of people chasing him: he just introduces him to his ultimate "work".
Different though they may be, they must track a serial killer who is choosing his victims according to the seven deadly sins (gluttony, sloth, greed, lust, pride, envy, and wrath).What makes Se7en so excellent in my mind is how incredibly real it is.
Being from New York, the street scenes at night are 100% accurate, executives, harried workers, hookers and dealers all intermingle in a pastiche of chaos.We see the early scene where Freeman first meets novice detective David Mills (well portrayed by Brad Pitt) and he asks him what NYC homicide is like, and won't agent Somerset regret retiring?
Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey all do top-notch performances, the script is one of the strongest in years and the ending must be on of the best I've seen.
Two cops - one young, one old - chase a serial killer that is leaving a paper trail.This is actually one of the best films that I have seen that I have only wanted to watch one.
Morgan Freeman plays the grizzled old cop well, and Pitt delivers a more comedic performance than a dramatic one as the young Det. Mills.The best part of "Se7en" would be Kevin Spacey's creepy role as the deadly killer.
With so many reviews on this great movie, I thought I would take a singular track, and examine one character of the film - John Doe.Kevin Spacey plays John Doe - the serial killer chased by the two detectives.
This is a fantastic scene, where we are given the opportunity to listen to the reasons why the serial killer murdered his victims.The intriguing piece of this scene is that the film-makers make a sympathetic case for John Doe, and give Spacey the chance to show off his acting talent.
It's basically a standard serial killer film full of cliches (old cop on verge of retiring and young eager cop full of new ideas -yawn) but with two main differences - the ending, and the sheer grossness of the murders.I've watched many horror and crime movies and I'm not squeamish but I found the murders so unpleasant that I became detached from the movie and started wondering.
People who like this film- the dark, urban atmosphere, the pseudo-noir elements: please watch some David Lynch films and see how this should be created, i.e. not by using video game titles, not by relying heavily on special effects, make-up, and yet ANOTHER plot with biblical references, but instead by a careful selection of actors, beautiful cinematography, and incredibly original stories.Stop funding this director so that he will go back to making TV commercials instead of two hour long theater commercials..
As for Ms Paltrow - the most boring and one-dimensional actress yet paraded on the silver screen (though Nicole Kidman isn't far behind)...HER fate was the highlight of the movie.Shamelessly exploitive crap though it was, I found RESURRECTION (A "Seven" clone) way more interesting and given that starred Mr "Wooden" himself (Christopher Lambert)....maybe I need therapy.Quite frankly for all its social comment, upmarket direction, cinematography and set-design, I think "Seven" is a modern "Kings New Clothes." Great film....shame about the entertainment factor.
David Fincher's Direction, Morgan Freeman's dialogues, Brad Pitt's character and John Doe!.
While I was not very convinced with the performance of Brad Pitt or the chemistry between him and Morgan Freeman in the beginning, I got the hang of it and appreciated Mill's character as the movie progressed and we were made a part of the deep conversations that Somerset and Mills shared during their investigations.
Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt play police detectives who together are tracking a serial killer who kills people who have each committed one of the seven deadly sins in a way that's relevant to the specific sin.
This film follows David Mills (played by Brad Pitt), a newly transferred police detective in an unnamed crime-ridden metropolitan city, who is partner with an old veteran detective William Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman) who is on the verge of retirement, to investigate a string of gruesome murders all around the city.
Mills and Somerset take in matters in their own hands to hunt down the sadistic serial killer (played by an actor who I'm gonna keep a secret) responsible for the grisly murders, only to be faced with a scarring truth about his intentions.This David Fincher masterpiece is not a horror film, but it certainly sits directly at the borderline of one.
Ultimately, it works pretty well.Se7en is one of the well-crafted and twisted thrillers I've ever seen and one of the spine-chilling films Hollywood has to offer, thanks to the incredible camera-work, brilliant direction by David Fincher and fantastic script by Andrew Kevin Walker.
So, let's see if all of these critics are whackjobs, or if this film truly is as good as they say.Se7en follows two detectives - one set to retire by the end of the week, and a rookie set to take over his position, as they slowly realize that several seemingly unconnected murders are actually the work of a serial killer basing his murders on the seven deadly sins.This film is one I had been fascinated by for a long time.
But, set in an unnamed and permanently drizzly American city, Se7en is a meditation on evil and a pessimist's depiction on the modern world, climaxing in one of the bravest and most memorable endings in Hollywood history.Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is on the verge of retirement, where he plans to leave his inner-city life behind him after years of fighting on the side of good.
Somerset eventually finds the word 'gluttony' etched in grease in the apartment of the first victim, and he becomes convinced the murders are connected, and that the killer is murdering under the guidance of the seven deadly sins.The genius of Se7en is rooted in the way the movie keeps the audience as clueless as the detectives.
Brad Pitt,Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey are fantastically cast , the setting is wet and dark,( you never find out where the city is meant to be ).A Constant feeling of dread runs through this film which I can only say is an absolute must watch movie.
Like "Chinatown", it reinvented the noir genre with its own particular atmosphere, both were and are still atypical for their time, and both end with a case solved, yet a puzzling conclusion."Se7en" is less about the series of crimes committed than the two men who lead the investigation, and the way their relationship evolves and highlights their respective approach to life, to death, to the world they live in, with an implicitness that respects our intelligence enough so we can respect the film in return.
Kevin Spacey plays an astounding performance as "John Doe", the serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a purpose to murder.
Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as well play excellent roles in this great movie.
Incredibly gritty, very fluid, and most disturbing are all ways that one might describe David Fincher's Seven, a film, as all of these reviews on here will attest to, is about a serial killer-maniac killing people based on the seven deadly sins.
Line 432) "Seven deadly sins, seven ways to die" is the tag-line for this intense psychological thriller directed by David Fincher: ~ Detective Sergeant Mills (Brad Pitt) is set to replace Detective Lieutenant Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a world-weary cop retiring after years on the force.
Kevin Spacey's role in this movie was a surprise for everyone, well except for the people who use IMDB, it said who the killer was played by.The most shocking moment for me was when you see that body on the bed and everyone thinks that person is dead because of the state of the body, but its not, that scene shocked me alot, i never forgot it and never will.Overall i gave Se7en 9/10, everyone that likes thrillers should go see this movie, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..
An intelligent script, and admirable actors including the excellent Morgan Freeman, Prad Pitt, Gwenth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey, with a cinema noir style, and very grisly murders representing the Seven Deadly Sins.
But the creative team of director David Fincher believed in this extremely dark, uncompromising story, and made it just the way Walker wrote it.The story revolves around two extremely well-drawn characters, David Mills (Brad Pitt) and William Somerset (Morgan Freeman).
Ultimately, Mills and Somerset can only do so much to try to stop Doe; the killer always seems at least one step ahead of them, and stays that way until the very end of the movie.
Detectives, and reluctant partners, William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) are assigned to track down the killer.