|
Se7en (1995)
Starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. Cinematography by Darius Khondji. Edited by Richard Francis-Bruce. Produced by Phyllis Carlyle and Arnold Kopelson. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Directed by David Fincher.
In a city saturated with evil crime, law enforcement does what it can to find and punish the guilty. Detective William Somerset has become cynical and jaded over the years that he has worked as a cop and is a week away from retirement. Detective David Mills has just transferred to the big city, eager to get in on the action and establish a name for himself.
On their first day together they investigate the murder of a grossly obese man who has been forced to literally eat himself to death. Behind the refrigerator Somerset finds the word “gluttony” scratched into a cake of grease on the wall. The next day the two find one of the city’s most successful lawyers dead in his lavishly decorated office. On the carpet “greed” has been spelled out in spilled blood.
Somerset deduces that the killer is using the seven deadly sins as inspiration for his killings and predicts five more murders. The two mismatched detectives work tirelessly to prevent the grizzly recreations of “lust”, “sloth”, “envy”, “pride”, and “wrath”.
Andrew Kevin Walker worked at a Los Angeles Tower Records for three years while hashing out the screenplay for his film, Se7en. Using The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, Paradise Lost by John Milton, the Holy Bible, and The Dictionary of Catholicism as inspiration and reference, Walker carefully assembled what was to become one of the most amazing murder mysteries to come out of the nineties.
But his limited success in the past made it difficult to sell. After he put the finishing touches on his script, he used the Writer’s Guild of America to help assemble a list of agents who have represented writers that have worked in the crime and thriller genres. He started calling each name on his list and when an assistant would inevitably inform him that their agent didn’t accept unsolicited screenplays, he would pitch his film to the assistant. Well, eventually one bit and he sent the assistant the screenplay, who in turn passed it on to the agent. There’s a lesson in perseverance for you.
David Fincher’s direction matches the moody tone in Walker’s script. The whole film just reeks of inevitable doom. Nearly the entire thing is shot either in the rain or in a dim area and is occasionally lit with only a flashlight. And despite what some viewers may remember, there is very little on-screen violence.
John Doe, the story’s killer, is never seen hurting anyone and only his bloody aftermaths are portrayed. Like an Alfred Hitchcock film, much of the drama in Se7en is played out in your mind, which is a far more terrifying place than the unnamed city it is set in. Be aware that this is a very disturbing film, but for those who can appreciate a well told story, it is ultimately incredibly rewarding.
Budget: $30,000,000
Total US Gross: $100,125,643
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 127 Minutes
US Release Date: 9/22/95
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Awards: Academy Awards: Nominated for best editing.
Tagline: Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Ways To Die.
Quote: “We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common; it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. And what I've done is going to be puzzled over, and studied, and followed… forever.”
|
