"A visual extravaganza" - a review by pearlyWhat an amazing film. Se7en really has it all. Not only is it visually stunning (if sometimes vile), it has fantastic performances, an enthralling storyline, and characters with depth that you get to know, rather than just sitting and watching them for a couple of hours.
The story is that of detectives Somerset and Mills, who are attempting to solve an unfolding series of murders. The murders are linked by the fact that the victims are all perceived by the murderer to be sinners of the highest order; that is to say, he is killing them because they have committed one of the seven deadly sins (sloth, envy, greed, pride, gluttony, lust and wrath).
I'm reviewing Se7en as a re-visit, not a first-time screening. I've never been all that interested in "favourite movies" - the ones that you can watch over and over again. But the thing that makes this movie re-watchable is definitely the visuals. There's just so much to see. The production in this way reminds me of the films of Terry Gilliam; the sets are so extravagant that it's not even possible to notice all the things that are going on.
To me, this is what movie-making is all about. I wouldn't say that I am a particularly visual person (I write code for a living and read mathematics books in my spare time), but when I see a film (especially if I'm watching on the big screen), I love to be dazzled. I love having so much to look at that I don't know where to look. This film most definitely gives its audience that.
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman give fabulous performances as the two detectives. Their characters' chemistry is one of the things that makes this film so great; the wise, laid-back approach versus the enthusiastic and gung-ho. They both play off this well. Kevin Spacey is brilliant as usual, in a role that is small, but quite similar in many ways to his other big one for that year, The Usual Suspects (1995).
Okay, so Se7en doesn't paint a particularly rosy picture of society or modern-day USA. The way I see it, I'd much prefer to watch a film of this ilk, that has been made by truly creative people, for other creative and thinking people, than a romantic comedy where I sit with my brain in the off position.
| 
