Known for his twisting crime narratives, David Fincher created a haunting thriller with Se7en, elevated by amazing actors and great style. In Se7en, Det. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Det. David Mills (Brad Pitt) — the former about to retire and the latter having recently transferred to the precinct — are tasked with finding a serial killer who aligns each of his victims with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. When the murderer believes he has something to say, Somerset and Mills are unwittingly pulled into the discourse on the state of humanity.
Morgan Freeman & Brad Pitt Revamp The Buddy Cop Narrative In Se7en
Se7en sets up a dynamic we’ve seen only a million times before: a veteran law enforcer and a rookie are unwillingly working together (although Mills reminds Somerset that he has years of homicide experience before transferring). However, the characters’ interactions go beyond comedic juxtapositions of their different levels of experience as they both deconstruct the other’s way of thinking. Mills is arrogant, constantly needing to be checked by Somerset. Yet Somerset has become apathetic about his work, prompting his interest in retirement, while Mills firmly asserts that he believes in what they do.
Freeman and Pitt are an intriguingly dissonant combination that is perfect for this movie.
Freeman and Pitt are an intriguingly dissonant combination that is perfect for this movie. The other two major stars in Se7en are Gwyneth Paltrow as Mills’ wife Tracy and Kevin Spacey as the murderous “John Doe.” The movie inevitably gives the latter more opportunity to really act, but Paltrow plays her part well. Her circumstances as a woman who moved to a city she hates for her husband’s career and contemplating what it will mean to bring a child into this world also effectively play into the movie’s themes.
Se7en Is Not Ashamed Of Its Theatrics, With A Historically Macabre Style
After its cold open introduces the main characters, Se7en launches into an almost kitschy credits sequence, with morbidly scratchy fonts and filtered flashes of the killer’s hands preparing tools and writing in notebooks (and if you’re paying attention, you will pick up on how he accomplishes certain things here). The rest of Fincher’s movie maintains a dramatic and dark tone, switching between the perspectives of Mills and Somerset when they are apart to give it a cut-up feel. Se7en is a cadaverous movie, not shying away from the grisly murders, which is important to its core motif.
Se7en Delves Into An Ugly Depiction Of The World, Showing How It Truly Challenges The Characters
The movie may feel like its killer is a bit too perfectly matched up with the two detectives when Somerset and Mills’ conflicting worldviews are unfortunately resonant with what John Doe is doing, and he agrees with at least one of them. However, supported by its dramatic trappings, this is a contained, hypothetical serial killer narrative with a specific point about humanity. Se7en‘s killer is out to very violently and symbolically show what he thinks of humans, theoretically to prompt others to punish sinners, or at least act better.
Se7en is a cadaverous movie, not shying away from the grisly murders, which is important to its core motif.
He shows how ugly he thinks everyone is with his murders, methods which are gruesome depictions of their sins. In Se7en‘s shocking ending and final quote, what we’re left with is an image of how idealistic people are corrupted, and how their sin was there all along. There is an argument that the “heroes“ were only prompted to act a certain way by the villain, but fragmentary examples of their biggest flaws appear throughout the movie, making Se7en an exemplary (if somewhat convenient plot-wise) psychological thriller with a killer who can get into people’s heads.
8/10
David Fincher’s crime thriller Se7en follows the seasoned Detective William Somerset after he is assigned a new partner, the young and idealistic David Mills (Brad Pitt). The two find themselves investigating a deranged killer staging murders inspired by each of the seven deadly sins. On the hunt for the twisted John Doe (Kevin Spacey) before he can kill again, the two detectives soon discover that they’re much deeper into the case than they realized.
- Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are a surprisingly great subverted buddy cop duo
- The premise meshing the serial killer plot and Seven Deadly Sins concept is mind-bending
- The dark style and grisly murders help the movie make its point about the state of humanity
- The concept of the killer and his being so attuned to the detectives is a little convenient