I was flipping through the channels last night and saw that Se7en was on TNT. I hadn’t seen the film since it came out but remembered that it had a great opening credit sequence (supposedly the one that started the opening credits as an art form in and of itself) - so I started watching. And watching. And watching. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
The script borders between a silly B-movie plot line and brilliance. It’s such on obvious idea in retrospect but other than a few forgivable cliches the screenwriter (Andrew Kevin Walker) handles it pretty well.
Morgan Freeman’s character, for example, prefers wine to beer - a character trait reminding us (as if we hadn’t figured it out yet) that he’s the refined and thoughtful detective while the beer guzzling Brad Pitt is young and brash. And the scene between Morgan Freeman and Gweneth Paltrow in the diner seemed like a complete afterthought. Of course the pregnancy gives the ending more urgency and makes Brad Pitt’s “wrath” more potent, but the scene felt like a last minute re-write.
What people seem to remember most about Se7en however, is it’s atmosphere - a modern day film noir if there ever was one. David Fincher manages the difficult task of making film noir seem new again - hence the reason for all the imitations afterward (most of them starring Morgan Freeman). Had it not been for Finchers direction this could have been a very different film indeed which is why he has managed to sustain a very successful career - he’s a director with a great aesthetic and the ability to take a mediocre script and make it fascinating. For all of his obvious talent and skill as a director though, I believe David Fincher has been greatly over-hyped since Se7en. He has yet to top this film!
