Directed by: David Fincher
Premise: Mills (Brad Pitt), a police
detective new to the city beat, trains with Somerset (Morgan Freedman),
a detective days away from retirement, when a serial killer begins a
week-long spree, choosing and executing victims based on the seven
deadly sins of the Catholic tradition.
What Works: Se7en is a great take on
the serial killer film both for its artistry and for thoughtful
commentary on society and the serial killer genre. The film sets up a
fascinating dynamic between its three leads: Somerset wants to get out
of the city because he is so disgusted with the violence and apathy
around him, Mills wants in and still possesses the idealism and
commitment to justice that Somerset once had, and John Doe, the serial
killer expertly played by Kevin Spacey, is as disgusted with the city as
Somerset but has committed himself to act in ways that make him similar
to Mills. Doe’s sense of justice makes him a unique serial killer, one
who is motivated by an odd sense of justice, and it blurs the line
between cop and criminal in ways that are more complex and more
interesting than other police procedural pictures. The film’s style
borrows a lot from Alfred Hitchcock and a bit from Michael Mann,
especially Manhunter,
and Se7en uses cinematography and art direction to give the sense
that we have seen a lot more gore and violence than has actually taken
place on screen. The film uses the carnage of the murderer and the
authorities attempts to capture him to comment on how our obsessions
with serial killers, and by extension the serial killer film, uniquely
fit into our contemporary society.
What Doesn’t: Some may find Se7en just too unrelentingly bleak for their taste. This is not an easy film
and it is unsettling from the pre-credit opening to its now famous
finale. It is an exquisitely made film and its artistic qualities are
not to be diminished, but some audience members may have to file the
film under the “It’s good but I don’t have to like it” category.
DVD extras: The New Line Platinum Series
edition includes multiple commentary tracks, explorations of the opening
sequence, storyboards, deleted scenes, alternate endings, a photo
gallery, trailers, and DVD-ROM features.
Bottom Line: Se7en is one of Fincher’s two serial killer films, the other being Zodiac, both of which stand with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and The Silence of the Lambs as some of the great serial killer films of all time.