D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die…
Se7en, 1995.
Directed by David Fincher.
Starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey.
Se7en is the dark and chilling tale of two Police detectives, David Mills (Pitt) and William Somerset (Freeman), who take on a series of murder cases that correspond to the seven deadly sins: gluttony, envy, lust, pride, sloth, greed and wrath. As they investigate each gruesome murder they try and piece together all the clues to put an end to this sadistic killer’s spree.
As the two detectives become friends Somerset is introduced to Mills’ wife, Tracy. Somerset soon becomes a confidant for Tracy and she confides in him that she is pregnant, but considering an abortion. After following their clues Mills and Somerset are lead to the flat of John Doe (Spacey), when they confront him he fires at them and gets away. In his flat they find the clues to another victim, but are too late to save her.
At a loss at what to do next the detectives are struggling for a lead, but Doe gives himself up. He agrees to confess to all the murders and lead the detectives to the site of another two bodies. He also confesses that God had asked him to punish the wicked. However, is Doe telling the truth or are there more dark twists to come?
The city in which the film is set is never revealed, but the constant rain, dirt and noise make it an uncomfortable place to live and work and Fincher states this was key to films tone. Se7en is a chilling thriller with hints of horror and neo-noir that make it such a dark, grim and ghastly tale. When released it performed extremely well in cinemas and received favourable reviews from critics.
Se7en is a film you must see before you die because it has a truly horrific ending that displays the inhumanity of some people. If you want a happy ending this isn’t the film for you, but if you have a strong stomach and can handle psychological violence then it is well worth enduring the horror for.
D.J. Haza
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Originally published January 2, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
