Seven (1995)

'Seven' on Earth

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Seven on DVD

David Fincher's great-looking Seven takes place in "The City," a grim, wet, dank, disgusting place where everybody wonders every day why they don't move. Our main characters wonder, too. It's a theme brought up again and again. Why don't we just move out of the city? A difficult question. An interesting question.

Otherwise, we get a classic Agatha Christie-type story brought up to date. Two cops, a rookie and a vet (where have you heard that one before?) -- played by Brad Pitt and the great Morgan Freeman -- are searching for a "John Doe" who kills his victims with the theme of the seven deadly sins. John Doe is played by the terrific character actor Kevin Spacey, in a role similar to the one in The Usual Suspects. If you think you know where the story is going, think again. This movie has an unconventional ending worthy of the anti-hero movies of the Seventies.

Morgan Freeman shines here and the dialogue, by Andrew Kevin Walker, is worthy of him. He could earn his fourth Oscar nomination. Gwyneth Paltrow is an actress to watch. Brad Pitt is still spending all his time trying to shed his pretty boy image and hasn't emerged as an actor yet, but give him time.

Note: the title is sometimes written as "Se7en."

Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, John C. McGinley, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, Richard Schiff, Mark Boone Junior
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker
Directed by: David Fincher
MPAA Rating: R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings, and for strong language
Running Time: 127 minutes
Date: October 1, 1995