Review of Se7en (1995) by Gmateusz — 31 Aug 2015

'Seven' is one of the most self-defeating movies I have ever seen. Despite its pretentious attempt at pseudo-philosophy, it is remarkably shallow upon closer examination, and quickly degenerates into a quagmire of bleak nihilism and self-serving darkness which do nothing to carry the film.

Main characters have redeeming qualities and are a bright spot in an otherwise extremely bleak landscape, but the ending mercilessly puts out even that tiny spark of hope in the most cruel way imaginable.

In this sense, it make one wonder why that film was made in the first place and for whom - after all, its relentlessly nihilistic orientation and exploitation of vile brutality are of the soul-sucking, wearisome quality which I find difficult to believe anyone would enjoy.

That's what this movie truly is - a relentless, pitiless march into the dark with no variety and no redemption. As such, we might coin a new term to describe 'Seven' and its ilk - 'cynsploitation' - stories which are dark, futile and edgy not in order to make a halfway intelligent point about anything, but to use those tropes for shock value.