Se7en

Directed by David fincher, Se7en follows two detectives (Morgan Freeman’s William Somerset and Brad Pitt’s David Mills) as they attempt to solve a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins. Filmmaker Fincher, armed with Andrew Kevin Walker’s screenplay, delivers a propulsive and frequently enthralling thriller that benefits from its raft of engrossing, mesmerizing attributes, including Howard Shore’s creepy score and Darius Khondji’s perpetually captivating visuals, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the gripping atmosphere is perpetuated by a consistently surprising narrative and smattering of seriously disturbing sequences (eg Somerset and Mills find themselves confronted with the killer’s interpretation of Sloth). It’s clear, as well, that Se7en receives plenty of mileage out of the terrific performances of its two leads and the often irresistible chemistry between their respective characters, and although Fincher elicits equally stirring work from a stacked supporting cast that includes Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, and Richard Schiff, Kevin Spacey’s third-act appearance as the picture’s chilling villain paves the way for an absolutely electrifying (and completely satisfying) climax – which does, in the end, cement the film’s place as a top-tier endeavor that remains one of the very best genre efforts to emerge out of the 1990s.

**** out of ****

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