Movie Review: Seven (1995)

Being a fan of Chris Stuckmann on YouTube, I was inspired to review the works of David Fincher. Keep in mind, this may not be in chronological order of how they were released because I actually still have to watch some of his movies. However, Seven is one that I have now seen 2x and am ready to review and talk about. Looking back on Seven, there are some things that I think do work in the movie, and those that don't. Now I am well aware that this movie is considered to be one of the best horror movies ever made. I get where people are coming from. This movie has awesome shots to it, great acting, and a storyline that ends as disturbingly as it began. The film revolves around two detectives. Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) and Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman). Somerset is this detective who is on his last week of being on the duty. He is assisted by a newbie named David Mills. What case do they get? These two guys have to track down a serial killer who murders people using the seven deadly sins. Most of this movie is them solving the case by looking at the aftermath of these crimes. Actually, except for some select scenes, the whole movie revolves around solving the crime. That's one of the problems with this movie, there is virtually not a subplot or sub-story. Everything shown has to do with this case. It's almost like as if this were an episode of one of those reality TV shows and they edit out when the detectives take a break and get a beer. They edit those types of scenes out because they aren't relevant to the story. Here's the thing; that's television and this is a feature film. One of the other things that this movie could have done a lot better is not create a scene for every crime that is made. Everytime the serial killer murders someone, we have to see Somerset and Det. David Mills find the aftermath and talk about it while this disturbing set lies beneath them. Now do I dislike this movie? Not in any shape, form, way. However, there are major flaws in the storyline that prevent a viewer from getting a great thriller movie. Now onto the positives. David Fincher wasn't as well known when this first came out. That being the case, this movie introduced people to how David Fincher uses setting to convey tone. In the last scene of the film, Pitt, Morgan, and the Spacey serial killer (no pun intended) are driven to what seems like the middle of nowhere. The background and the enviornment is so gloomy and dark and creepy that we know something bad is going to happen. It's foreshadowing through the use of the camera. That's smart film making strategies there. Another thing I always enjoy with this movie is the level of creeps it gives me. This is one of the few movies that I can say have actually given me the creeps. The trap with the sloth terrified me. As well as the hair sticking out of the deliver box (No Spoilers..) Overall, Seven is a very good movie for a David Fincher movie. However, it could have had more to it. What it doesn't have detracts from the value of the film. 2.5 stars.