Seven (1995)

Three years after his underrated directorial debut on ALIEN 3, music-
video whiz David Fincher is back with an equally engaging thriller 
about an ingenious serial killer stalking a nameless American city.  
The detectives on the case are played by Morgan Freeman (the veteran) 
and Brad Pitt (the rookie).  Their quarry is a sermonizing killer 
who's preaching through imaginative variations on the seven deadly 
sins.  

Atmosphere is everything in Fincher's house of horrors.  Constant 
rain, dismal lighting, and amplified sound effects all work to weary  
effect.  As does the queasy subject matter.  (Though the gore is kept 
to a minimum, you'll know very early if you have the stomach for 
this.)  The methodical pace may also be off-putting to some.  SEVEN 
requires patience.  Anxious viewers may find themselves straining 
their chains much in the same manner that Pitt's gung-ho character 
does.

Grade: A

Copyright 1995 by Michael J. Legeros 

Originally posted to triangle.movies