Review of Se7en (1995) by Joe C — 04 Jan 2015

Fincher went from the man who ruined the Alien franchise to the darling of shock cinema, with this extraordinary, moody serial killer hit. His sophomore film twisted the mind rather than the flesh and pushed us into a bottomless pit of moral questioning and depravity, and ultimately never let us climb out.

The investigations of the most abhorrent murders imaginable (the horrific aftermath only shown, forcing our imagination to places it shouldn't be) open our eyes to the madness and mayhem of everyday life through the perverse logic of a serial killer, while Darius Khondji's bleak cinematography keeps you drained of any hope and Andrew Kevin Walker's incredible script keeps the tension relentlessly intensifying like a runaway train.

Perhaps most noteworthy for the final 15 minutes, Se7en isn't just brilliant for the amoral jolt of the nerve tearing finale; it's a disconcerting tableau of Gothic horror and spiritual unease.

There is no film more intense from beginning to end than Se7en, certainly not one that distills and intensifies the thriller experience so potently. It is an extraordinary display that translates into an aura of invincibility that has yet to be equaled.

It's original, tonal, and, to used a trite word, perfect.