Se7en is a 1995 crime thriller film directed by David Fincher which would serve as his breakout film before he went on to create the likes of Fight Club and The Social Network. The mix of his directing along with a star studded cast featuring the likes of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman had all the perfect pieces for making this one absolute masterpiece of a film.
The film revolves around two criminal detectives and takes place in an unnamed city that is riddled with crime. David Mills, played by Brad Pitt, is a young and impulsive detective who recently transferred from another police department after moving cities with his wife, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. His partner William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, is on the other hand the absolute opposite of Mills. He is a veteran who overtime has become disillusioned with his job and is up next to retire. Their antagonist is a serial killer, played by Kevin Spacey, who is referred to as John Doe and is inspired and motivated by the Seven Deadly Sins.
The dark theme of the film goes hand in hand with the grim aesthetic of the film’s color palette, it is constantly dark with most of the film’s outside scenes being shot at night and in the rain. When they are not outside, the indoor scenes are usually in dark houses with little light entering and in narrow and crowded rooms which adds a little bit of claustrophobia to its nature. The only time this sequence of dark colors or narrow spaces is broken is during its famous final sequence which prevents the film’s scenery from going stale.
What makes this the perfect film for Halloween are its graphic physical effects, that use no CGI, which helps make the gruesome aftermath of John Doe seem all the more real while also exemplifying the twisted nature of John Doe’s form of justice.
