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 I watched this film for the first time three years ago in a film festival. As soon as the closing credits sequence (one of the most imaginative ever committed to celluloid, incidentaly) popped on the screen, I turned to my friends and said "I love this film!"Well, this may sound a bit revolutionary, since Seven can hardly be accounted as a feel-good flick. But that is the whole point. Seven is as ground-breaking, in a way, as Citizen Kane was, the proof that there still are filmmakers that have the courage to defy conventional Tinseltown formulas and follow their initial convictions all the way to the end. I have talked to people who deemed Seven a violent film. In my opinion, nothing could be more wrong. I can mention hundreds of more violent films, films where we see the hero blowing the 'baddies' to pieces without the slightest qualm of conscience. Bar the final scene, there is not one instance of violence in Seven. We can only see the shocking aftermath of violence, and that is what makes some people judge it too gruesome. But that is the whole point. This film is appalled at the way how our society has become innured to horror. It is a film about the consequences of violence, a bit like Pulp Fiction, but while in Tarantino's work the line between morality and entertainment was somewhat blurred, in Seven it is as visible as the central reservation. It is as if Fincher and his writer, Andrew K. Walker are sending a concerned message to the young auteur, something along the lines of "Please, please, DO NOT glamourise violence." Much of the credit for this masterpice must go to the brilliant script by Andrew K. Walker, who took the semblance of order sustained by most Hollywood thrillers and put it in a washer machine in hot spin for about two hours, creating a moral haze where things are much, much more important than just catching the 'bad guy' (although there is quite a surprise here). My salute to cinematographer Darius Khondji, who managed to brilliantly and succintly convey moral darkness with his gloomy, oppressive photography, as immerse in a quasi-apocaliptic feel as "Blade Runner" was. Howard Shore (he who scored "The Silence of The Lambs") once again demonstrates that there is no rivalling him when a feeling of despair and desquiet is to be achieved by the means of music. Finally, kudos for the impressive acting - at last, a film where Brad Pitt can display his acting abilities rather than his torso. Morgan Freeman positively sparkles in what must be the performance of his career, his humanity and virtue the very ocean through which the film drifts. However, the most impressive performance, albeit in a mere twenty minutes, is that by thespian wonder Kevin Spacey, in what surely must be the most unsettling portrayal of evil since Robert Mitchum in "The Night of The Hunter". If his appearance at the police station doesn't blow your socks off, then you must surely have been lobothomised during the last twenty-four hours. And what is more, at last a film that ends in a note as unique as the one that opens it. In the emotional turmoil that descends during the last ten minutes, you might not even notice how the characters remain as convicing and fully-rounded as before, how Freeman's character still upholds the values he has defended throughout the whole film. A thriller that is intelligent, moving, absorbing, and where a) the serial killer is not only moral but also literate, a twisted but intrincate opponent, very, very far away from the usual goggle-eyed psycho-babble and b) the filmmakers have the strength and the courage to present us with an ending where the loosers are the winners and the winners are the loosers... well, in this day and age that comes close to revolutionary.
Se7en is a film that works perfectly despite (or rather, because of) the formulaic set-up: rookie homicide detective Mills (Brad Pitt) is paired with a crusty old veteran, detective Sommerset (Morgan Freemen), who is in his last days before retirement. This, of course, is exactly when a Brilliant Serial Killer With a Diabolical Plan decides to commit a series of ghastly murders. Naturally, films in this genre need to have a "hook", a conceit that gives the murders a possibly predictable pattern. This way our intrepid detectives can engage the killer in a battle of wits, a Race Against Time to save lives before the Master Plan is completed. In this case, the title says it all - the serial killer is patterning his crimes after the seven deadly sins. But here is where Se7en veers off course, and, in the process, becomes a real masterpiece of the genre. This familiar, well-worn surface is a deception. Se7en wants you to relax, thinking you know the territory, and then pull the proverbial rug out. I won't tell you what happens or who the serial killer turns out to be (just in case you are one of the few people on Earth who doesn't know by now), but even if you figure it all out beforehand, it won't do you any good. You will still sweat. You will still squirm. You will still peek through your fingers - which is a shame, since the feature on DVD #1 was transferred from the original camera negative under the supervision of director David Fincher. In the commentary track, Fincher himself says that this is probably the best that Se7en has ever looked. When you uncover your eyes again, you can then get lost for many hours in the formidable collection of supplemental material on DVD #2. Most fascinating is a detailed look at the creation of the prop journals featured in the serial killer's lair. It is not often that we stop to consider that someone actually has to create the stuff we see on screen, and that they often labor for weeks to get something just right - only to have it handled for a few moments by an actor and then discarded. In all, the Se7en New Line Platinum Series edition is a valuable addition to any serious film collection.
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I will always think of this movie when I hear someone say what's in the box?
