one of the more unusual and suggestively violent films ever made , " se7en " is just a few steps away from brilliance . 
however , those few steps away are only a few steps from a level of evil and depravity that few people want to discuss . 
the film received mixed reviews upon release , but there's an underlying sinister appeal and intrigue to this that many critics perhaps did not notice . 
at times it gets preachy about the horrors it seems to be criticizing , but the script and the ultimate pay-off are excellent . 
the shocking conclusion is just as unpredictable as the endings of most films are predictable . 
this piece of work is 100% intensity . 
it's uncomfortable to watch , yet compelling . 
 " i want not to look , yet i cannot turn away . " 
the story creeps along slowly and deliberately , crafted by visionary director david fincher . 
he has experience in tantalizing his audience with information and visions , but not giving away too much too soon . 
this is the guy who directed the ominous " alien 3 " . 
 " se7en " is even more ominous because the threat is real . 
it's human and , while the script takes some artistic licence , the way in which the diabolical killer works here is actually realistic . 
that is , if a human being could be so intelligent , patient , wealthy , and disillusioned . 
after the most bizarre opening credits i've ever seen ( refreshingly different in editing style and musical accompaniment ) , the initial character development takes place . 
morgan freeman stars as detective william somerset , a knowledgeable veteran who is ready to give up on his job and the sickness of society . 
brad pitt co-stars as detective david mills , the young hotshot who is brand new to this unnamed city and full of fury to catch the bad guys . 
these two fine actors give the film its human qualities ( along with the appealing gwyneth paltrow , who plays tracy , mills' wife ) . 
however , none of them stands out above the material . 
no disrespect intended , but two other actors could have played these parts and the film probably would have been about the same . 
an ironic note is that somerset has only a week ( or 7 , that's seven , days ) left on the force to train his young protege . 
the title of the picture also refers to the 7 deadly sins , as chronicled by john milton in " paradise lost " --gluttony , greed , sloth , lust , pride , envy , & wrath . 
incidentally , i wrote the sins in order of how each victim was found . 
it's the last two sins that are the most intriguing and shocking , but i won't give that away . 
as i said , this has a great ending and no one should spoil it . 
anyway , the brilliant killer sets out to make a statement to the world that these sins will no longer be tolerated and he makes the " sinners " suffer for it . 
the two partners stumble over the corpse of a grotesquely obese man . 
they learn that he was murdered--forced to eat himself to death . 
the killer leaves small clues at this and other murders and , of course , somerset and mills are smart enough to stay with him all the way . 
if they didn't , it would be one short movie ! 
the deliberate pace allows for craftsmanship of detail and story . 
we see a lot of blood , but it's not especially violent . 
the suggestion of what happens is far more disgusting than anything actually shown--like most of the violence in " pulp fiction " . 
 " se7en " is gory , graphic , and disturbing , but all the gore is post-death . 
still , if you tend to get queasy , don't eat food during this film . 
kevin spacey plays john doe , the avenging angel who claims that he's the messenger who will right the wrongs with his teachings . 
like many crazy men , he has some fine ideas , but some sick ways of expressing himself . 
spacey doesn't appear until the final 30 minutes and also doesn't receive billing in the opening credits . 
however , it's his appearance that turns this film upside down and for that he should have gotten an oscar nomination . 
a great villain manages to make you either root for him or feel compelled to listen to his ramblings regardless of whether you agree with him or not . 
this character is so well written that it's hard to disagree when he says that what he is doing will be remembered by everyone . 
no serial killer has ever been so creative . 
 " se7en " is blatantly unsubtle with its messages about the horrors of the world and it's often a little too depressing . 
what it lacks in those areas , it makes up for with believable dialogue , top-notch screenwriting , unexpected twists , and realistic characters . 
the technical aspects of the film are unobtrusive . 
fincher uses lighting , music , and editing quite well , but his story is always the thrust of the film . 
fortunately , we don't find out what happens to mills and somerset after the closing credits ( which are run backwards up the screen ! ) . 
it's better to imagine what paths they will follow . 
this is not the kind of film you turn away from and quickly forget . 
it's got a sinister message and john doe is right about one thing--the evils of the world aren't going to cure themselves . 
 " se7en " raises some tough questions and it's intelligent enough to allow its audience to answer many of those questions for themselves . 
useless trivia--co-stars in 1995's " se7en " , brad pitt and kevin spacey also competed for the 1995 best supporting actor oscar--pitt in " 12 monkeys " , spacey in " the usual suspects " ( for which he won ) .