Sunday, March 15, 2015

Seven

Movie Name: Seven
Year of Release: 1995
Director: David Fincher
Stars: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, John C. McGinley, Richard Portnow, Mark Boone Junior
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:
Following the debacle of his feature debut, "Alien 3", director David Fincher returned with one of the most iconic films of the 90s, the thriller "Seven". Written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the film focuses on the story of two police detectives, one about to retire, by the name of Somerset, and his much younger colleague, by the name of Mills. These two seemingly different men find themselves trying to capture a deranged and menacing serial killer, who is staging these elaborate scenarios depicting the Bible's 7 deadly sins, executing people as a means to prove his point and finish his grandiose plan. Unbeknownst to them, these two resourceful men become part of this man's schemes.
David Fincher's "Seven" turned out to be an iconic film of the mid 90s, re-imagining the serial killer sub genre, with an aesthetic and point of view, one that was simultaneously bleak and uncompromising. David Fincher would further explore this aesthetic and approach with his following feature films, but "Seven" (and its title sequence), forever influenced much of the suspense and thrillers that were released for the remainder of the 90s, and even today, that influence can still be felt on TV shows such as "Hannibal" and films such as "John Wick". David Fincher manages to create with this film a very specific universe, one where the city and its inhabitants are dominated by this relentless darkness, where the never ending rain seems ready to engulf everything in sight. The sliver of innocence, personified in this film by Mills' wife, is herself corrupted by the evil that touches everything, which gives this film the emotional arc and punch that has made it one of the staples in the genre. The performances are fantastic, particularly Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, who walks away with one of the most iconic and villainous character creations. The cinematography from Darius Khondji is stunning as is the score from Howard Shore. A modern classic from a fantastic director.

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