Justin's Rating: Freaked me out the first time I saw it. Freaked me out the last time I did, too.
Justin's Review: I must first get off my chest the whole issue with the title of this movie, mainly to deal with that funky "7" in the middle of the title. Sure, everyone calls this movie Seven, but that's not really accurate, unless you twist your head sharply to the side in the middle of reading that word and mistake the 7 for a "V". So should you pronounce it "See-Seven-Een"? Does the 7 make any sense in the title, or is it as it seems, hopelessly redundant? As if I need the number as well as the word to figure out the numeric value? And while I'm on the subject, what's up with the acronym for Independance Day: ID4? As far as I've discerned, nowhere in the actual title of Independance Day is the number four included. The title "ID4" might even confuse those newly sworn-in citizens of the USA that this is the fourth sequel to a rather lame Will Smith / Jeff Goldblum feature.

Despite the fact that ever since Silence of the Lambs came out (and won oh-so-many Oscars) and we have been deluged by countless Serial Killer Movies, I only include this movie (Se7en, for those of you filling in the crossword puzzle) in the same league as Silence. Ironically, both films concentrate more on the search for and methods of the serial killer than actually featuring the serial killer himself. I honestly don't think you can boast an accurate portrayal of a serial killer in a film, because you're either gonna have to show a guy sitting in a huddle, talking to a wall for a good portion of the film, or else come up with some unrealistic, celebrity-type killer who has more quips than Regis during the $500,000 question.

Morgan "Drivin' Me Crazy" Freeman and Brad "Should Be Euthanized To Give The Rest Of Us Males A Chance" Pitt follow the body trail of a serial killer for a fun-filled week. They do this in one of the gloomiest unidentified cities the world has to offer. It's constantly rainy, cloudy, smoggy, and the buses are always two minutes behind schedule.

The cop buddy pair-up is typical of most cop movies, except that there isn't a lot of friendly banter that has to do with jumping off tall buildings and being too old for this... well, you get the picture. Our mysterious serial killer, out for games and laughs, is knocking off people according to the seven deadly sins. Ah, yes, and there you have the hook of the movie. It's all manner of gruesome and depressing and shocking, but done with a pretty smart style. For instance, the victim for Lust is killed by a penile impliment that is only seen -- in a photograph -- for a split second on the screen. You see it, but you really don't have long enough to actually recognize what it is. Only to realize that it's pretty tearing awful. Morgan Freeman brings a dignified presence to the film, and constantly gives the impression that if there's one person who can out-smart this wickedly intelligent killer, it's him. It certainly isn't gung-ho Pitt, whose cocky eager beaver attitude gets him few points in my book.

The MRFH legal department would like to inform you that there is a major spoiler ahead, and should only be read by people who have seen the film or who left the theater to get popcorn for their date, only to find out that the concessions stand is out of natural butter flavor, and after ten minutes of intense negotiations, gets the manager to melt a couple of butter pats onto the top of the munchies.

Easily the highlight of Se7en is that Gweneth Paltrow is decapitated. I've discovered that I hold particular hatred for a wide range of incapable actresses, and Miss-Thin-Beyond-Belief is one of them. Movies like Shakespeare In Love and Great Expectations are wonderful examples if that you have big eyes and can breathe longingly in each scene, you don't necessarily need to have acting skills. So, anyway, her head is FedEx'd in a box to Brad Pitt, who isn't too upset because he's been dating Jennifer Aniston in the meantime. We never get to see Gweneth's head, but that isn't to suggest the props department didn't prepare a life-sized model of her bony cheeks to give Freeman and Pitt good inspiration. "Ack," they probably said between takes. "There goes my desire for some Chinese take-out later." My opinion holds that every film should end in Paltrow's decapitated head showing up in a box during a random scene. That could really spice up, say, Pokémon 2000 or The Perfect Storm.

[SCENE: The day after the Perfect Storm]
Official: Ma'am, there were no survivors of the wreck.
Woman: Waaaah! My, my sugar-plum! NOOOO!!!
Official: Oh, and here's Gweneth Paltrow's head in a box.
Woman: Eeew. Okay, life's worth living again.

Sorry, that's two spoilers in one action-packed review. I've been a bad, bad boy.

Didja Notice?
The number 7 shows up in many places throughout the film. Detective Somerset is invited for a late dinner... at 7pm. The climactic delivery was to be made at 7pm. All the building numbers in the opening scene start with 7.
The opening credits uses a heavily remixed version of "Closer" by NIN
The closing credits scroll up

The Movie Store!
Se7en: Movie [VHS]
Se7en: Movie [DVD]

Intermission!
While filming the scene where Mills chases John Doe in the rain, Brad Pitt fell and his arm went through a car windscreen, requiring surgery. This accident was worked into the script of the film.

Groovy Quotes

John Doe: It's more comfortable for you to label me as insane.
David Mills: It's VERY comfortable.

John Doe: We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trival. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. And what I've done is going to be puzzled over, and studied, and followed... forever.

David Mills: Yeah, a landlord's dream: a paralyzed tenant with no tongue.
William Somerset: Who pays the rent on time.

Dr. Beardsley: He's experienced about as much pain and suffering as anyone I've encountered, give or take, and he still has Hell to look forward to.

William Somerset: Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.

If you liked this movie, try these:
The Silence of the Lambs
Kiss the Girls
The Usual Suspects