Review of Se7en (1995) by Diego T — 30 Jul 2013

David Fincher may have solidified his mastery over grimy cinema with Fight Club, but he started that mastery with Seven, an ingeniously plotted film that showcases the director at his most enthusiastically chaotic. To add on to the sheer weight this film carries is Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, as well as Kevin Spacey playing a deranged serial killer. If that's not enough to intrigue you, then you really have no taste in movies. Seven is a truly amazing movie, and will have you on the edge of your seat every for every minute. Those who call it 'boring' are ADHD action junkies who mainline Michael Bay films and drool over the explosions. This is not that kind of film. In fact, if Pulp Fiction hadn't been made the same year, it would probably have been the most memorable movie of 1995.

Seven follows Morgan Freeman, a close-to-retirement seasoned veteran of the police force, and Brad Pitt, who just relocated to the big city and is eager to prove himself at his new as a homicide detective. They are brought together by a mysterious serial killer who models his murders after the seven deadly sins. He forces an overweight man to eat himself to death (gluttony), tortures a lawyer for a whole weekend (greed), tortures a child molester and drug addict for a YEAR (sloth), mutilates a woman who got plastic surgery (pride), and forces a hooker to be knife-fucked by a client until she dies (lust). So yes, it's that kind of movie.

However, when Kevin Spacey turns himself in, there are two extra sins that are conspicuously absent. I will not spoil the ending for you, as it's one of the most intense, powerful, and psychological conclusions to any film I've seen in recent memory, but I will say this: "WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOOOOOOOOOX?" Speaking of which, the dialogue is great and eminently quotable. The back-and-forth banters that Freeman and Pitt have reach legendary levels, and the supporting cast holds it up quite well. However, it is only when Spacey arrives as the killer when the dialogue becomes truly... well... biblical. He's a real chameleon, and in his career he's gone from being an honest cop among dishonest ones (LA Confidential) to a completely corrupt congressman (House of Cards). There's something unsettling about him, he seems cold and calculating, and he was therefore perfect for this role. He completely embodies the character (which is even creepier, as it should be harder for an actor to play a serial killer), and brings such depth and serenity to his role that you can't help but be transfixed. He's a fucking beast.

This is a movie that really couldn't stop topping itself. I wanted every sin to be more and more ludicrously punished than the last, and it delivered spectacularly. The gruesomeness of every punishment and death is taken beyond anything you've ever thought of in your worst nightmares with every sequence, and it's amazing. You just can't wait to see what horrible thing Fincher will inflict upon your eyes next, and you can't look away. It's an unforgettable feeling. Unfortunately, I saw Seven after seeing Fight Club, which may have raised my expectations astronomically high for this film. It's great as a precursor to the far superior Fight Club, but it's not the better film.

Final Score for Seven: 8/10 stars. Hmm, should I give it 7/10 just to appease the OCD part of me? Nah, this movie's too good for that. All around great performances, amazing dialogue, and a twisty plotline that will leave you guessing until the very end. Definitely not for the faint of heart (I certainly wouldn't recommend this to my dad), but if you're steel-stomached in the face of gruesome torture, you'll be fine. I'll say this, though-- if the first scene is too much for you, don't bother muscling through. It gets a whole lot worse.