Se7en (1995)

Director:

David Fincher

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Kevin Walker (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Long is the way, and hard, that out of hell leads up to light.

Plot:

Police drama about two cops, one new and one about to retire, after a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his MO.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Seven Deadly Sins | Serial Killer | Police | Gluttony

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 19 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Brad Pitt	...	Detective David Mills
Morgan Freeman	...	Detective Lt. William Somerset
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Tracy Mills
R. Lee Ermey	...	Police Captain
Andrew Kevin Walker	...	Dead Man (as Andy Walker)
Daniel Zacapa	...	Detective Taylor
John Cassini	...	Officer Davis
Bob Mack	...	Gluttony Victim
Peter Crombie	...	Dr. O'Neill
Reg E. Cathey	...	Coroner (as Reginald E. Cathey)
George Christy	...	Workman
Endre Hules	...	Cab Driver
Hawthorne James	...	George, Library Night Guard
William Davidson	...	Library Guard (as Roscoe Davidson)
Bob Collins	...	Library Guard

Also Known As:

Seven (UK) (video title) (USA) (alternative spelling) (USA) (video title) (USA) (DVD title)
The Seven Deadly Sins (USA) (working title)
Pecados capitales (Argentina) (Uruguay) [es]
Sieben (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Семь (Russia) [ru]
7 Pecados Mortais (Portugal) [pt]
Hetedik (Hungary) [hu]
Los siete pecados capitales (Dominican Republic) [es]
Sedam (Croatia) [hr]
Sedam (Serbia) [sr]
Sedem (Slovenia) [sl]
Sedem (Slovakia) [sk]
Sedm (Czech Republic) [cs]
Seitse (Estonia) [et]
Seitsemän (Finland) [fi]
Sep7 (Canada: French title) (alternative spelling) [fr]
Sept (Canada: French title) [fr]
Sete Pecados Mortais (Portugal) [pt]
Seven (Spain) [es]
Seven (France) [fr]
Seven - Os Sete Crimes Capitais (Brazil) [pt]
Seven - Os Sete Pecados Capitais (Brazil) [pt]
Siedem (Poland) [pl]
Yedi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings, and for strong language.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Israel:16 (re-rating) | USA:R (certificate #33601) | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Chile:18 | Denmark:16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (nf) | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Alexandria Hotel - 501 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The original script had a strange, dwarf-like woman as part of the forensics team, appearing in every one of the "cleanups" after a murder and hurling foul language and epithets at Somerset and Mills.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the end of the scene where both witnesses of the "Lust" crime scene are interrogated, there is a slow track from one interrogation room to the other. In the tracking shot, you can see the camera dolly reflection at the bottom of the two-way mirror.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Detective Taylor: Neighbors heard them screaming at each other, like for two hours, and it was nothing new. Then they heard the gun go off, both barrels. Crime of passion.
William Somerset: Yeah, just look at all the passion on that wall.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Oz: God's Chillin' (#1.3)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Gypsy Csardas

Outstanding Performances / Great Storytelling

This movie is from start to finish a well produced and directed film. The performances in this movie are outstanding. Brad Pitt, once again, makes his role a stand-out performance by putting his versatile acting skills into his interpretation of Detective David Mills. Morgan Freeman is well-cast. His brooding acting style fits the character (Detective William Somerset) like a glove, and Gwyneth Paltrow gives her best performance EVER in the role of Brad Pitt's supportive wife/lover (Tracy Mills). And of course, Kevin Spacey who plays the diabolical yet misunderstood serial killer.

The movie is suspenseful and in parts very exciting. There is a "Pseudo-Noir" quality to this movie that really fits in well with the content of the film (Serial Killing). It has it's philosophical moments that anyone who thinks a lot about the state of the world today can appreciate. It makes subtle moral judgements without insulting any beliefs that the viewer may have and it also generates debate for any post-film coffee/drinks gathering.

Andrew Kevin Walker (Screenplay) has taken the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins and he really puts a great new twist on these themes. As a writer, I really could appreciate the depth that he goes into with these ideas. The movie gives us just enough information to be entertained and informed yet not bombarded and made bored with too much philosophy. In this respect, the film doesn't "preach" any special meaning even though the film's moral statements are still maintained. This film can be enjoyed on so many levels and I really enjoyed the third act. One of the best pieces of storytelling and scriptwriting ever.

Outstanding performances from everyone involved (And yes, of course, David Fincher does a wonderful job) Say no more. *****