“One of the best murder mystery film”

Dir: David Fincher

Prod: Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle

Writ: Andrew Kevin Walker

Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey

Happy 30th Anniversary to one of my favorite murder mystery movie so let’s talk about Se7en!

Se7en is David Fincher’s second film, a gripping murder mystery about two detectives Mills (played by Brad Pitt) and Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman) in an unnamed city. They investigate and attempt to stop a serial killer named John Doe, who is committing murders based on the seven deadly sins. For me, this movie, alongside Zodiac, The Batman, and Saw & Saw X, is one of my favorite murder mystery films because it gets everything right when it comes to serial killer movies.

From the start, the pacing of the movie is slow, but it is also incredibly creepy and disturbing, much like the first Saw. While Saw is a fun crime thriller, it includes many elements of a horror film, especially in how it shows the aftermath of each victim. In the very first scene, we see an obese man who is forced by the killer to eat until his stomach bursts. During this introduction, we meet Mills, a young, eager detective, but have temper issues and Somerset, a veteran detective who wants to leave the city because it feels uncomfortable and unnervingly eerie to him.

What sets Se7en apart from The Silence of the Lambs, while also sharing similarities with Saw, is that both films focus on the aftermath of the murders and the twisted things serial killers do to their victims. Hearing the perspective of survivors is chilling, but showing the actual aftermath makes it far scarier. This is one of the reasons why Se7en works so well as a murder mystery movie.

Despite the slow pacing, what makes the film fascinating is the dialogue and the chemistry between Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Besides the investigation scenes, there are moments where they discuss their lives, such as when Freeman’s character asks Pitt’s why he moved to this city. This conversation lightens the situation, making the film stand out among other murder mysteries, which tend to be dark and bleak. Se7en has a noir-ish, atmospheric tone that adds depth to the story.

The film also incorporates horror elements, such as the “Sloth” scene, where we discover that the victim is actually alive, despite having been rotting for months. Even the medical professionals are scratching their head by how this man survived. Supporting characters, such as the Police Captain (played by R. Lee Ermey) and Martin Talbot, the district attorney (played by Richard Roundtree), are also a great addition. They feel well-developed, and you care about their fates. The bleakness of this place “Unnamed City,” where everyone seems to want to escape due to constant crime and rain gives the film a “Gotham City” vibe, which adds a unique mythology that makes the story even more compelling.

The movie helped popularize the trend of murder mysteries with body horror elements, without showing the actual killings, but focusing instead on the aftermath. Films like The Bone Collector and the Saw series followed this trend. The difference between Se7en and Saw lies in perspective and marketing, as Saw’s marketing leans more into horror, while Se7en is a murder mystery.

The ending of Se7en is amazing. It’s the type of conclusion where we don’t see what happens to the character, but hearing the killer’s description in a sinister and menacing way is unsettling. The way it is told combined with the fact that we know the victim’s fate adds an unsettling, mean-spirited layer to the experience. This ending cements why I love this movie; it’s everything I want from a murder mystery.

The music by Howard Shore is good, but not great. This is my only little nitpick, as the film is already so exceptional that it’s hard to complain. Without Se7en, we wouldn’t have gotten Saw. The cinematography that looks something straight out of the year of 2000s movies, editing, character development, dialogue, and story although simple are all captivating, making the film hook you for its 2 hours and 6 minutes runtime. Se7en is undoubtedly Fincher’s masterpiece and one of my favorite murder mystery films, alongside Saw and Zodiac.

If you’re a fan of noir films and are looking for a solid, gripping crime thriller, this is one of the best movies out there. I think it even surpasses The Silence of the Lambs which came out 4 years earlier before Se7en. The only downside is the scoring, which is decent but not as memorable as Charlie Clouser’s Saw theme. Still, Se7en remains a masterpiece from Fincher and one of the best murder mystery movie out there.

My Rating: A