Seven

For my 7th post, I'm choosing to review my favorite movie: Seven.

Seven is a psychological thriller that is so well plotted there are hardly any films that compare to it. I often refer to it as my #1 favorite movie. I've even heard that the word 'Seven' is spoken seven times in the script of the movie, but every time I try to count the 'sevens' I end up getting sucked into the plot again and lose count by the 4th or 5th 'seven'. I can talk about this film endlessly, but I'll try to just give a quick review, offer some of my thoughts and leave it at that.

(Caution: spoilers may follow.)
Seven tells the story of 2 New York detectives (Mills & Somerset) investigating a series of homicides with a common theme; the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, pride, envy and wrath. The crime scenes are quite gruesome as the serial killer uses the victim's own "sin" as the method of their "punishment".

Just when it seems that Mills & Somerset will run out of time to save any of the presumed 7 victims, the killer hands himself in. And his name is John Doe.

The most memorable part of the movie is, of course, the killer twist that comes when John Doe reveals his final victims. I've heard reviewers say it left them feeling like they had just been run over by a train. I couldn't agree more.

The thing that fascinates me most about Seven, and keeps me watching it every so-often is how the 3 main characters all seem to be dealing with the same struggle: to get by in the chaotic, dangerous environment that is New York. Drugs & violence seem to permeate society from every angle here. The way I see the characters' psyches is pretty much the same: in some way or another, they all give up this struggle at some point in the film. They only differ in how they deal with this feeling of futility. At one point in the movie John Doe even brings this to detective Mills' attention, stating how they may be more similar than Mills might believe.

John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey): John Doe gas given up in his struggle to live a normal life in the sin-infested environment of New York long before the story has even begun. We get a small glimpse into his mind when Somerset reads a couple passages from John Doe's library of journals while searching the suspect's home. He's chosen to deal with his frustration with the commonplace acceptance of the 7 deadly sins by committing atrocious acts of "forced attrition" against those he sees as sinners. The police see the results as a senseless killing spree until our detectives come along and start to put the pieces together.

Detective Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman): This man is a veteran detective on the brink of retirement who is asked to mentor newbie David Mills before he hangs up his badge & gun for good. His retirement represents his point of giving up in the struggle to fight crime he sees as more futile by the day. In the course of the film we discover how this pessimistic environment has affected Somerset's personal life, resulting in his inability to remain close to any of the people he may have once loved. When it came down to being dedicated to either a family or his job, he chose his job, in hopes that he could still make a difference. Throughout the film this belief of his is in constant doubt.

Detective David Mills (played by Brad Pitt): Mills is a young & 'green' detective with a drive to make a difference & prove himself a worthy detective. He embarks on this case with a perspective that reminds Somerset of how he used to think when he was younger. His ambition also reveals an underlying impatience that often gets the best of him. Once Doe hands himself in, while the police are still making sense of his crimes, he tells the detectives (through his lawyer) he'll confess if he can reveal the last 2 bodies to Mills & Somerset alone. The legal obstacles to a death penalty for Doe are so frustrating to Mills its almost more than he can stand. He jumps at the chance to get Doe's confession, and at the same time falls into Doe's trap.

As John Doe reveals the crowning piece of his series of 7 murders, the results are so personally devastating to Mills that he loses his mind and gives up on the legal system he works to support. He becomes a vigilante (and I can't blame him, you'll see what I mean if you watch this film), taking John Doe's life in dramatic fashion...

Don't be surprised if this movie leaves you asking yourself, "What's the point of life anyway?" Don't say I didn't warn you.