Seven (1995)

Directed by David Fincher. Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Richard Roundtree, John C. McGinley, Leland Orser, Richard Schiff. [R]

On the verge of retirement, worn-down veteran detective William Somerset (Freeman) breaks in his replacement—young and short-fused David Mills (Pitt)—during an investigation of a series of murders that follow a pattern inspired by the seven deadly sins (greed, gluttony, pride, wrath, lust, envy, sloth). Spellbinding but coal black thriller is completely absorbing from the get-go, even as it plunges deep into the depths of despair and depravity; the quality of filmmaking by second-time feature film director Fincher approaches the craftsmanship level of a virtuoso, seamless in representing a stylishly dark vision, as analytical and meticulous as the film’s disturbed killer. Andrew Kevin Walker’s script is intelligent and provocative, even as it borrows a few stock character elements and connects dots for the first three-quarters before pulling out the rug on the viewer’s expectations. Paltrow has a pretty thankless early role as Mills’ wife, but the villain captures an upsetting and eerily bland form of evil, and Pitt and Freeman prove their versatility as well-matched partners. Memorable opening credits sequence was designed and directed by Kyle Cooper. Despite its status as a masterwork, this film is not for the faint of heart. Title is sometimes stylized as Se7en.

96/100