Review of Se7en (1995) by Amanda C — 12 Oct 2018

"Seven" is a pretty incredible film. I had to mentally reconnect with the world after I saw it. It rocked me that hard. I genuinely felt anxious through the film, especially toward the end of it.

My anxiety just seemed to continuously increase over time as I watched. Fincher's ability to draw out and heighten the tension is superb. Just when you think they have the killer and that everything can come to resolution, there's one more twist in the books.

Toward the end of the film, when the three men are in the field it felt like it took forever for Morgan Freeman's character to open the box and reveal the contents. Even then, we still didn't know what was in it.

I kept waiting for them to open it and show the contents, but I feel that it felt that much more compelling by not seeing it. Watching everything play out after that was truly incredible. The look of the film absolutely impacted my experience in watching it.

The film was so incredibly well shot, and each shot was beautifully thought out. I loved the shots in the library when Morgan Freeman's character is studying. It might be my favorite sequence of the film.

Having all of the green lights lit throughout the library added this beautiful and eerie element. I also enjoyed the dolly shots through the rows of books as if we were stalking his character and watching him.

The shots in the field toward the end of the film are just beautiful. Including the overhead shots from the helicopter really feeds into John Doe, Somerset, and Mills and their isolation as their conflict bubbles over.