Se7en

Almost excellent.


This is an extremely troubling movie, in a good way. It combines the dark / noir style with the cop buddy genre, and the outcome is a ride that I will never forget.

The noir is also updated, from the pseudo-b/w style to the more comic book / mtv style thriller style. With the soundtrack (or lack of it), the overall mood is wonderfully dark. Plus the occasions of the rain really help.

The two opposite cop genre has been worked to death (and this even includes the spoof -- The Other Guys, which I will review soon); here Pitt is the hotshot hothead while Freeman is the soon-to-be retiring cerebral detective. The point of most of these movies is to start by using the differences as the clash, but eventually the differences become complimentary.

In this case, there is no force complimentarity. The individual cops remain, but somehow, they push their way through the case, and the ending just totally makes realistic sense. Congrats to the writer(s) for not forcing the 'harmony'. Sometimes, dissonance sounds good.

I should not say much about the plot, other than what is written on the back of the DVD box. Two detectives have to solve a case where the serial killer is murdering to make the point of each of the seven deadly sins.

Overall, I think the plot works too; there might be some inconsistencies, but it just about holds together.

Both lead actors do an amazing job. They may be criticised for being 'typecast' - in other words, Pitt could not take Freeman's role in this movie and vice versa - but despite being perfectly cast, they still had to internalise the roles. In this regards, both deserve commendations.

Overall, se7en is a great -- almost excellent -- movie.

Remind me again why I watch shows like the Green Hornet?

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