Se7en

Finally it is time to talk about one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. To be more specific at this moment in time Se7en sits at number 6 on my list, you would think I would go for the symmetry of listing it at 7 but once again you would be wrong. What we have here is the best movie of the 1990s and one of the very few perfect films I have ever seen. There will be no negativity here, no grumblings about plot or character development or length or ending or whatever other bitching and moaning I do for other movies. Se7en ain’t “other movies.”

I am not even sure where to begin. Should I talk about the meticulously crafted plot that was able to conceal the twist until it was time for the reveal? Or maybe the steady hand of Morgan Freeman grounding the movie with his realism? Or if you prefer I could talk about Brad Pitt finding the perfect notes to complement Morgan and Spacey? Or speaking of Kevin Spacey, how about one man producing John Doe and Keyzer Soze in the same fricking year? Actually I would like to kick things off with David Fincher. He is the director and all so he deserves some credit for the final outcome. I think that everyone who knows me knows that I love my movies dark and dank. If there is one thing that Fincher made sure of it was that Se7en was damn sure dark and dank. He used all the tricks of the trade to get the desired effect; pouring rain, minimal lighting, muted colors, speaking in hushed tones, weird leather bondage sex, heads in boxes, you know, the usual. Also with all the movies that have soared past the 2-hour mark for no other reason than director ego, Fincher still brings it home in 2 hours and some pennies. Of course no everyone one is gifted with a perfect script. It is annoying to say something like this but it is rare to see a truly original ending like the one seen in Se7en. A serial killer who was never caught but turns himself in only so he can enact his final 2 kills is incredible. And if this has been done somewhere in an earlier movie, I would love to see that version because it is just great storytelling. Moving on to the acting side of the equation, I have to start with Morgan Freeman. Much like everything the man does, it is impossible for me to picture this film without Morgan as Detective Somerset. The specific mannerisms, the intelligence, the world-weariness, these are the things that he embodies whenever he is onscreen. While Morgan is the anchor, Brad Pitt gets to grow throughout the story which makes his decision at the end even more powerful. The emotions that he shows throughout the film are incredible. Of course the final scene may be the best work he has ever done, you can see his mind coming to the decision to shoot John Doe. Plus … “What’s in the box?” Classic. Last but not least is Kevin Spacey somehow delivering on the buildup for the John Doe character. He doesn’t even show up properly until the last act but still is able craft the best scenes of the whole movie. Honorable mentions go to Gwyenth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, John C. McGinley, and all the corpses for pitching in when their numbers were called.

12 years have passed. I hope anyone who happens to read this has already seen Se7en. But if not and you are looking for my wisdom to sway the vote, you are wasting your time reading this. That time could have been spent watching the movie. Or better yet you could re-watch the movie if you had lied to me about whether or not you had seen it. I love ever piece of this film and no matter how many times I watch it there is no decline in quality. In fact it is one of the last masterpieces of the 20th century.

10 out of 10