Se7en

SE7EN                        B+                     

USA  (127 mi)  1995  ‘Scope  d:  David Fincher

I just don’t think I can continue to live in a place that embraces and nurtures apathy as if it was virtue.           —Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman)

It’s a dark and foreboding world set in some timeless and nonspecific present.  What’s worse? It’s wet, where a deluge of rain continuously pummels a hellish dark city drenched in a criminally infested cesspool that starts resembling Sodom and Gomorrah.  This is a fatalistically grim and enormously creepy serial killer film, where the production values are coolly impressive, but like most Fincher films, the emotional detachment can be overwhelming at times.  Morgan Freeman as Detective William Somerset is one of the highlights of the film as a downbeat, world weary but extremely conscientious detective who is within a few days of his retirement.  His sense of order and objective detachment has an old world quality to it, somber and scientific, a man who reflects before he acts, whereas the other cops are more temperamental and hot-headed, prone to knee-jerk reactions where they want to play the hero, as exemplified by a new detective assigned to work with him, Brad Pitt as Detective David Mills.  In fact, Somerset immediately sees Mills as a detriment to solving the most recent case, a particularly horrific murder, as Mills confidently jumps headlong into the thick of it like a young hotshot without any serious regard for what he’s dealing with.  Mills is quickly assigned to another murder which is equally egregious, where the two are destined to share evidence as if by fate.  But it’s Somerset’s dogged persistence working studiously in the library that gets a handle on just what they’re dealing with, as the killer is naming each abominable murder with one of the Seven Deadly Sins, which suggests more are forthcoming.  What’s truly bloodcurdling about each murder is the methodical degree of patience exhibited by the killer as he inflicts excruciating and unthinkable amounts of pain before each victim dies, where he may even force them to mutilate themselves during the process.  All this precedes the SAW (2004 – 2010) series, notorious for their gruesomely graphic depictions of sadistic torture porn, where this is more suggestive, as the actions have already taken place offscreen before the detectives discover the catastrophic remains.

This is not the tense thriller of MANHUNTER (1986) or THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), both of which focus on the psychological profile of a monsterish psycho killer, instead this is seen through the differing perspectives of the two investigating cops as they try to piece together the necessary materials to catch the guy, who remains unseen and out of reach for the first two-thirds of the film.  Mills has brought along his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, in his transfer to the city, but it’s clear she’s unhappy there, that the move was more likely based on his personal career ambitions, while that’s the kind of mental clutter Somerset has little use for, as his laid back approach is more low key and unassuming.  The biggest problem of the film is the casting of Pitt, who continually whines and overacts and is clearly outclassed by the relaxed intelligence yet judicious manner of Somerset, who is in every way Mills’ superior, but humble enough to allow Mills to run the investigation due to his approaching final days on the force.  Mills never rises to the occasion, never elevates his stature, and never shows the cautious professionalism of a good detective.  Moreover, he’s not a very sympathetic figure, where his impatience and casual air of reckless nonchalance can easily get others into trouble and allow criminals to walk away free, as he’s seduced by a world of shortcuts and quick fixes.  His temperamental cowboy mentality is in stark contrast to the more intellectually refined and cerebral Somerset, a man alone in a world that has passed him by, moving at an altogether slower pace than the world around him, which is portrayed as a nightmarishly corrupt city of neverending crime.

It is this incessant stream of unstoppable crime and the public’s apathy to it that is leading Somerset into retirement, yet he lingers on the case knowing Mills doesn’t have the experience or expertise to apprehend such a coldly calculating, viciously brutal killer.  Throughout the entire ordeal, the key to understanding this dark and disturbing noir universe can be found in the sad eyes and defeated voice of Morgan Freeman, whose agonizing sense of despair in the face of such ghastly horrors lends a sense of unexpected clarity.  The biggest strength of the film is a dazzling opening credit sequence and the visual invention of cinematographer Darius Khondji that gives the film some magnificent architectural looks resembling the crumbling and decaying world of Blade Runner (1982), moving back and forth between immense open space and cramped, claustrophobic quarters, as the detectives creep through the tight hallways and blood-filled crime scenes investigating the murders, where you can reach out and seemingly touch the wallpaper peeling from the walls.  Even worse is the hypnotic sense of awe and disbelief as they enter the lair of a psychopath with his multiple connecting rooms, some with religious significance and some resembling a scientific torture chamber, complete with Medieval devices.  Apparently only in Somerset’s retreat into the quiet enormity of the library is there any sense of calm or prevailing order, as otherwise the world outside is continually seen in utter turmoil, almost like a nightmarish apocalyptic vision of a world in ruin.  When the elusive killer finally reveals himself, heard first as a voice over the phone (uncredited, but marvelously committed to the role), he’s like an avenging angel of doom carrying out the terrifying wrath of God.  Fincher does an excellent job withholding the presence of the killer until the end while continually sustaining a tense and taut atmosphere throughout.  The pace of this morbidly compelling film never wavers, while the astonishing finale is abruptly shocking and uncompromising.