Se7en (1995)

What I appreciate most about the 1001 Movie Club is the opportunity it forces upon me to view some films I've always been interested in checking out, yet never get around to seeing.  Se7en is one of those films, and being a fan of well made thrillers it's definitely a film that doesn't disappoint, although it's still far from perfect.

Se7en stars Morgan Freeman as Detective William Somerset and Brad Pitt as Detective David Mills.  Mills is introduced as Somerset's new partner in a case that has serial killer written all over it.  Only a few days away from retirement Somerset isn't interested in getting bogged down in a case that will probably take years to solve, if it's ever solved at all.  But the more he keeps trying to push it away the more engrossed in it he finds himself becoming in it, as the murderer systematically appears to be knocking off people whose lives represent the seven deadliness sins.

For a crime thriller Se7en is Zodiac on steroids, a film that manages to thoroughly keep guessing regarding the very puzzling and disgusting crimes of a psychotic madman.  Freeman does a wonderful job as the cool and calm investigator (similar to Gyllenhaal's character in Zodiac) while Pitt is the film's resident hot head who's not afraid to speak his mind (similar to Downey Jr.).  On the plus side Se7en is a little more enjoyable than Zodiac, which tended to drag the plot of the film out at times.  But it's unfortunate that Se7en couldn't have had the more amusing and tolerable Downey Jr. substituted for the at times annoying Pitt.  Pitt's constant whining and rambling got extremely tiresome at times, and it seemed his character was only kept around to complain and become the pawn in the film's conclusion.

As for the conclusion it was one of the few aspects in the story you could see coming a mile away.  Not necessarily in the sense of how it would all be tied together but the victim themselves was easily predictable from the film's beginning.  While I thoroughly enjoyed the edge of your seat suspense and a few good action scenes, ultimately I felt a little angered at the film's overly political correct message.  The type of "respect" bestowed upon blatant homicidal murders is sickening, and only reinforces why our "justice system" is so screwed up today.  

Today justice seems to mean a lifetime on death row, where in California each death row inmate has better facilities than the general prison population and it costs the taxpayers upwards of one hundred thousand dollars a year to house each prisoner!  So essentially harden criminals who care nothing about human life get a free ride on our tax dollars, how is that justice?  Justice would be taking them out back shooting them in the head, saving the the tax payers millions of dollars a year and giving the family of the victim some closure.  That's not revenge, that my friends is justice, an eye for an eye.  

The film's message of giving a criminal what he deserves is allowing him to win is simply pathetic.  Pitt's character ought to receive praise, not be scorned or even prosecuted for his actions, whether or not the criminal received what he wanted, he received what he deserved.  In the end, aside from the sporadic acting of Pitt and overall politically correct ending which almost brought me to wrath, Se7en is a well written and well pieced together puzzle that is sure to please most crime thriller fans.

8/10