Seven

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and Scary!
Review: Disturbing and scary don't seem like good enough words to describe the film, "Seven". This movie is a psychological thriller in which a serial killer kills his victims by using the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. Of course you're disturbed by the killings and dark, damp feel of the movie, but you also learn about the message that the killer was ultimately trying to relay - although he didn't have to kill to get his point across.

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman did great jobs playing the lead characters, and Kevin Spacey is chilling as the killer. This is definitely a movie you want to watch with a friend and with the lights on!

Rating:
Summary: Classic Crime/Horror
Review: Rarely does a movie suck you in like Seven does. It is one of the best horror/crime stories I have ever seen on film, and the audience is dragged along breathlessly for the ride. There is rarely a moment of lightness, of humor or triviality. With Seven, the viewer quickly realizes what they are in for, a horrific journey through one mans evil genius, and the feverish attempts to stop him. The dark journey will take us through a gothic city, devoid of sun or neon lights. It is bathed in grit and depression, with shadows and darkness never lifting. People wonder the streets, wondering where their lives went wrong. Even the police are under pressure, swamped in a sea of crime. This is the backdrop for an even darker strain of crime, and this atmosphere is one of the best parts of the movie.

Seven is a great addition to serial killer imagination. Just when you think everything's been done, some sick scriptwriter figures a new killing method out. The movie gains its numerical title from the method in which the killer takes out his victims. Using the stories of Dante and Chaucer, the killer forces his victims to kill themselves by acting out the seven deadly sins, such as sloth and lust. The eventual corpses are horrifying to look at, and the viewer is treated to a whole host of horrifying gore throughout the movie. The killings begin to pile up, each worse than the next. The two detectives tasked to finding him get closer and closer, but just cannot seem to close the case. The chase continues, leading to some great shootouts and claustrophobic pursuits. Once they finally do gain closure, the audience is treated to a truly traumatic conclusion. Seven is probably best known for its horrific and devastating ending that is really hard to get over.

The attributes of this movie are many. First, as mentioned before, the atmosphere. I think its one of the finest cinematographic achievements I have seen in a while, because it really aids the actual story. There is no levity to this story, and there is none in the actual movie. The viewer is constantly reminded that we are in a dark world with little hope and inhabited by desperate people. Seven has some great performances also, notably Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Pitt is perfect as the hard charging but green detective, often given to temper tantrums and violent outbursts. Trying to harness Pitt is his new partner, Freeman, who is veteran and seasoned. The dynamic between the two is very interesting, as is their journey through the darkness. Gwyneth Paltrow does a satisfactory supporting role, while Kevin Spacey is woefully underused. If I had one complaint about this movie, it would be that Spacey and his character are not really fully explored. But maybe that was the point.

Rating:
Summary: Psychological horror with class
Review: In the best tradition of psychological horror that claims such memorable classics as "Dressed to Kill", "Psycho", and "The Silence of the Lambs"- this film will haunt viewers well beyond the final credits. Director David Fincher skillfully constructs all the elements of suspense in this tale about a serial killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, and lust. The two detectives (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) tracking him become equally obsessed - with capturing the killer before he completes his seven murders. Freeman and Pitt have great on-screen chemistry that lends a gritty reality to the script.

Despite the gruesome plot, this film has an elegance rarely encountered in a commercial film. The suspense is beautifully taut - I caught myself literally holding my breath during certain parts. The pacing is deliberate but never slack, giving the viewer over two hours of intense drama.

Turn down the lights, jack up the surround sound, and settle into this tense thriller. (And make sure you're not alone!)

Rating:
Summary: Gruesome, Grisly, and Great!
Review: Seven is one of those movies that looks spooky and creepy and like you've got to see it, when you see the trailers for it - but then you just know when you actually see it that it's going to be disappointing.

This one isn't.

"Seven" is an awesome film - but not one for the squeamish.

Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are paired together in what is ostensibly a tour de force for both of them.

Freeman is a cop a week away from retirement. Transferring in from a cushy precinct is detective Brad Pitt. He wants to experience police work in the gritty city. He gets his wish - and how!

Pitt's first day in the new precinct sees the discovery of the first murder in a serial killer's sick mind. Freeman wants out, because he knows that the killings are going to continue and he wants to retire on time. Pitt wants to go for the gusto.

Ultimately they work together to solve the murders, each more gruesome than the last. While the murders are truly horrific, David Fincher really doesn't show us everything that he could, though he does show us a lot. Our minds simply fill in the gaps and it's enough to make you reel from the thoughts.

Fincher piles on the symbolism in this film. Red is used to symbolize death and each time we see it we know someone is going to die or has just died. It rains constantly throughout the film, exemplifying the confusion and horror of the case. Sunlight is revealed at the ending of the film when we and the detectives are to be enlightened to the killer and his motives.

Whether it was the actor or the producers who made the following decision, it was a stupendously wise one: the actor portraying the killer is not listed among the opening credits. Too often filmmakers make the mistake of revealing the name of the actor or the face of a well known actor portraying a killer in a film, only to have that action allow the audience to "know" who the killer is from the beginning of a good mystery (such was the case in the film "Copy Cat" - which owe's its box office to "Seven" incidentally).

Seven is David Fincher's finest film to date. Although he made films before and has made films since, he hasn't been able to get the same lightning in the bottle that he did with "Seven".

You really must see this horrifying thriller to believe it! But whatever you do, don't watch it for the first time while you are alone at night - you won't be able to sleep for days!

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of a film, and a masterpiece of a DVD
Review: Director David Fincher made up for his dreadful directorial debut Alien 3 with this superbly crafted thriller that became the most unnerving serial killer film since The Silence of the Lambs. Veteran detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is teamed with young detective Mills (Brad Pitt) to track a serial killer who is basing his murders on the seven deadly sins. Freeman and Pitt are both great in they're respective roles, but Gwyneth Paltrow is mostly wasted as Pitt's wife. The best performance however goes to Kevin Spacey as John Doe, the seemingly insane killer that we soon find out may not be so insane after all. This is where Fincher began to display the skills of the type of director he would become in his later films like Fight Club and Panic Room. The look of the film honestly, is pretty depressing, but that mood sets the tone of Seven perfectly, and the atmosphere of the film carries a sense of dread almost throughout the entire film. Freeman's characterization of the weathered and disenchanted Somerset is one of his best roles in his distinguished career. Pitt's characterization of a hot headed cop is one of his better roles as well, but as I said before, Kevin Spacey gives the best performance of the film and is purely chilling. What makes John Doe chilling however, is not his crimes, but the fact that when he speaks his reasons why, he makes a frightening sense of it. The DVD itself is packed with extras including four seperate commentaries and an alternate ending (plus an un-shot ending done with storyboards) along with tons more, and is possibly New Line's best produced DVD to date. All in all, consider this essential viewing.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie I've Ever Seen
Review: Seven is probably the best movie that i have ever seen. Whether its the directorial genious of David Fincher or the great performances turned in by all the cast members it is an all around excellent movie. The general plotline (without giving too much away) is about a serial killer who kills his victims because they simplify the seven deadly sins. While it can be a pretty gruesome movie at times it is something that everyone should see. David Fincher gets overlooked quite a bit but if you've gotten a chance to see such movies as The Game, Fight Club, or Panic Room and liked them I can almost guarantee you that you will be a fan of this movie. Its a movie that deserves more recognition than what it gets made by a director who gets hardly any recognition. If you've never heard of David Fincher please see his movies. Just look him up online and find out what he has made. He has only made a total of four movies so far (five, if you include Alien 3 which he has pretty much disowned because of the studio not giving him enough freedom with it) but all four of the movies are awesome in their own way.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!!!
Review: Not since The Silence of The Lambs has a movie been so geniously produced. The plot is gripping and it will have you glued to your seat every inch of the way. Also best suprise ending I've seen in a while.

Rating:
Summary: Great Film!
Review: Buy this one; you'll have to watch it over and over. Brad Pitt is awesome he really acted well in this film. Morgan Friedman is sensational in this film he really made the film. The movie is old, I know, but I just re-watched it and I have to say that it was just as good as the first time, buy it!

Rating:
Summary: Seven's a ten
Review: Stunningly morbid, Fincher's "Se7en" is a morose and disturbing flick without senselessness.

The plot is rich and textured. On the basis of the seven deadly sins, a serial killer plays out each sin in detail. Murder is the method, gluttony, greed, lust, envy and so on are each the subject matter, and apparent societal depravity is the canvas. Two police officers, a rookie detective, and a seasoned veteran, are left to put the pieces together and to try and stop the massacres from unfolding.

A deeply disturbing, and downright frightening, movie, "Se7en" accomplishes the purpose of this genre in a surprising and intelligent way. Both Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are exceptionally cast in roles each of them excel in, while Kevin Spacey's portrayal is nothing short of chilling.

The movie manages to surround you in a sense of morbidness. The rich texture (from, I've heard, the use of an innovative lens that alters the general colour of the movie) elicits a frightening calm, and a certain pitch and level of anticipation that captures the intent of the movie.

If you like this genre, "se7en" is worth more than a cursory look. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Truely Creepy
Review: This movie breaks all the rules of horror and sets its own. There are gruesome killings, but we never see them happen. The victims are people we never meet, but get the gut feeling we wouldn't be to fond of. The murderer (Spacey) is revealed and arrested long before the climatic finish, and the great finale spares a gore show in favor of pure suspence and psychological terror.

The movie follows a pair of detectives as they slowly but surely track the killer, who leaves a string of victims by the specific sin they had commited. (The first victim is labled for gluttony, then greed, and so on.) These city detectives are the rational cool headed Somerset (Freeman) and the cocky young Mills (Pitt). Somerset is single and takes his job very seriously when others don't. He relies on logic and research. Mills has a lovely wife and lives in what appears to be a nice home, although it often shakes due to its location. These simple differences help to portray the differences in these two characters who are fairly distant, though they work together the whole time.

The movie from here becomes completely psychological, and its antagonist portrays a very grim image of the world in the theological sense. But the thrill and suspense lies in whether the detectives stop the killer before he finishes his cycle of Seven, not to mention the eerie surprise that awaits at the climax.

The setting is in New York, and most of the scenes are very gloomy and dark. There's a lot of imagery to go along with the plot, so rather than pass off the more gruesome scenes as just that, pay close attention to everything. There are clues in unexpected places as well as some interesting tidbits that relate back to the literature used for reference of the Seven Deadly Sins. The music is well fitting and quite frankly really good, but don't bother getting the soundtrack. The best and most important songs are for some reason, not on it.

If you want a good slasher film, don't look here. If you want a real pychological thriller, then don't miss this. From the acting to the theme, it's a real treat.