REVIEW #157 Seven (1995)

Seven is crime/mystery film directed by David Fincher and follows two detective as they try to catch a serial killer who has committed a string of murders attached to the seven deadly sins. 

CAST & THE ACTING 

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman lead the cast as the pair of detectives assigned to catch the killer, playing David Mills and William Somerset respectively. They are both excellent and play their roles to perfection, with Pitt giving a more emotive performance and Freeman portraying a more calculated and thoughtful character. These expressions were emphasised by their performance which created such an interesting dynamic, polar opposites but I appreciated both equally. That final scene in the fields, wow, Brad Pitt blew me away! The scene itself is shocking enough but his performance really gives you a kick in the stomach, you feel the emotion so deeply. Kevin Spacey was cast as the serial killer and he played the part scarily well, his use of facial expressions and delivery of dialogue to create this monster ‘John Doe’ was great and it was so convincing. Finally we have Gwyneth Paltrow, she had a relatively small role as Detective David Mills wife but she does enough to draw the audience into her character, which makes the ending so much more dramatic.

THE STORYLINE

I went into Seven thinking I was going to get just another serial killer film that I’ve seen thousands of times before, it’s probably why I have put off watching it for so long. However the film feels so unique, this hunt for the killer pulled me in unlike any other film of a similar nature. Now this was down to a number of things, one of which was the relationship between the two detectives. They are two completely opposite characters, their only similarity is their occupation. Mills is young and emotional, whereas Somerset is clever, calculated and every action has a lot of thought behind it. This dynamic created a fantastic sub plot, we saw the pair bond over the case which didn’t seem possible at the start of the film. So I want to compliment the writing there because it was really well thought out. Secondly the way Fincher constructed the murders really pulls you in, it’s rather graphic but that graphic nature pulls you into the investigation even more, I was there looking for clues along with the Detectives! Finally I want to mention the finale because that really hits you in the gut, I did guess what was coming when the killer handed himself in and Mills was handed the note about his wife trying to call him at the same time, from there you can piece it together. Nonetheless it is still an incredibly emotional scene, executed so well by Pitt, Freeman and Spacey. It provides a nice twist and links into previous interactions between Mills and the Killer. For sure Seven has one of the best crime mystery storylines I’ve seen!

CINEMATOGRAPHY & SPECIAL EFFECTS 

Wow I have seen so many accounts mention how The Batman used this film as inspiration and I never knew how, well it’s very clear now! The cinematography is excellent, the way Fincher has created this crime ridden city is genius and that feeds into Somersets character and motivations so, so well! The colour palette changes at different stages of the film and each time it creates amazing visuals. I have included some beautiful examples at the end of the post. I also want to discuss the opening credits which really impressed me. The glitchy typography, the soundtrack for it and also the graphics in the intro, all contribute to unnerving the audience, it made me feel so on edge and apprehensive which set such a good tone for the rest of the film. It perfectly foreshadowed how the detectives would be feeling throughout the film. 

OVERALL (9.2/10)

I am kicking myself for not watching this sooner because I absolutely loved it. The acting was fantastic and the cast is great too, they all created really interesting characters that were the centrepieces for this film. For a crime/mystery film, it probably has some of the best writing I’ve seen from the genre which is part of the reason why I have given it such a high score. The cinematography blew me away, I had a wide range of cinematic shots to choose from for the final part of the post. It’s clear to me now how David Fincher and his vision for Seven influenced Matt Reeves and The Batman, from the clever murders and clues that influenced the riddler, to the aesthetic of the city which influenced Gotham. Please go and watch this film if you haven’t already, although I’m sure most of you already have anyway! 

Thanks for reading.

Callan