The neo-noir thriller experienced something of a resurgence in early and late 90s, aided in no small part by the national cynicism that was finding a voice in Generation X, and the rise of independent film, which could operate with a level of nihilism that their major studio counterparts couldn’t get away with. But through the haze of smog-clouded urban hellscapes, Se7en stands alone, providing a moral grounding that stabilizes the constant existential horror of its anonymous American city. While all too many films would like to convince you of the essential banality of our society and institutions, Se7en answers what may be the defining challenge of our times: to see the world for what it is, and love it anyway.
In a set-up typical of any number of cop movies, hard-bitten veteran Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and cocky newcomer Mills (Brad Pitt) partner up to spend one week together as homicide detectives: Somerset’s last and Mills’s first. While Mills is hungry to define himself, Somerset is tired, and convinced that his time on the force has had little to no significance on their hellish environment. On their first day together, the two respond to a call about an obese man whose stomach burst while being force-fed can after can after tomato sauce; later, the word ‘SLOTH’ is discovered on the wall behind his refrigerator. Somerset immediately determines that this is the work of a serial killer inspired by the Old Testament and Paradise Lost and selecting his victims based on the seven deadly sins.
The killer’s M.O. is familiar: disgusted by the steaming corruption of the city, determined to set it straight by the righteousness of his own focused violence rather than by more organized means, the legal system acting as but a mere extension of the world’s inherent corruption. This tack has been used to characterize hero and villain alike, but Se7en is wise enough to spread this repulsion around, and using it to define each of its characters on both sides of the law (the only ones who seem to be consciously making the world a worse place are the killer’s victims). It’s also smart enough to know that both Mills and Somerset would be far out of their elements when dealing with a killer so determined and thoughtful. Somerset seems to have lost all connection with the world around him, and consigned it to the ranks of perverts and thieves. But in doing so, he has more or less quit participating in the human race, and lost a good deal of his humanity in the process. Mills, on the other hand, still believes that he can affect his environment for the better. But it doesn’t come from a place of compassion, like it does with so many film rookies. Mills is hot-headed, has frequent outbursts of anger in public, and refers to the Milton he has to read to investigate the case as ‘faggot crap.’ He’s been a detective for several years, but it’s only when faced with a case like this that he realizes he’s not able to control the world around him.
The turning point of the film comes when Somerset and Mills are faced with the killer, and they allow him to speak to them directly. Though it is never said directly, the look on Somerset’s face betrays that he is privately horrified to find how much the man sounds like him. If not for his weapons of choice, Somerset would probably find a great deal of common ground with him, as his talk of the sins of the world very directly recalls things that he had said to Mills earlier in the film. Mills, on the other hand, is shattered by the confrontation, even before the killer’s plan is fully realized. The conclusion that Somerset comes to at the end of the film is succinctly phrased in an Ernest Hemingway quote about the world not being a good place but worth fighting for nevertheless (Somerset clarifies that he only agrees with the second part), but it comes with the acknowledgement that it has come all too late. Even if he wouldn’t have been able to stop the killer any earlier, he might have been able to give Mills better perspective, and prevented such an awful tragedy from ending the case.
Though the film has been popular since its initial release, it’s almost surprising that it didn’t gain greater notoriety in the last decade. The increased visibility of radical Christian fundamentalism would seem to shine a new light on John Doe, and the omnipresence of themes of vigilantism could have done the same for all involved (before his identity is revealed, Doe’s costume even looks a lot like Rorschach’s). But even after the film has been copied (with diminishing returns) several times over, Se7en retains its power because it remains the only one to both clearly illuminate the line between personal responsibility and the fracture of society, and challenges you to determine on which side you stand.
BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES
There are the usual extended takes and deleted scenes (including some alternate endings, one of which is only in storyboard form), an exploration of the opening title sequence, the trailer, and several demonstrations of the visual and audio mastering that went into this edition. There are also four audio commentaries, each focused on a different aspect of the film: 1) the stars, with Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and David Fincher, 2) the story, with Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, and David Fincher, 3) the picture, with Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer and David Fincher, and 4) the sound, with Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, and David Fincher.
"Se7en" is on sale September 14, 2010 and is rated R. Crime, Drama. Directed by David Fincher. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Starring Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C McGinley, Morgan Freeman, R Lee Ermey.
