I’ve been fascinated with serial killers since I first watched The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. Actually, I think it was the book by Thomas Harris that really got me into them. I read it the Christmas after watching the movie. Harris digs deeper into the psychology of Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill than the movie does and details the methods the F.B.I. used to catch them. I love that stuff. Unlike other murderers who kill for money or jealousy or passion, serial killers seem to kill because they like it. They are compelled to kill by internal forces. That’s terrifying to me. And utterly fascinating.
Buy Seven 4K UHDI’m not alone in this feeling as serial-killer books, movies, podcasts, and television series have become their own cottage industry. I’m a fan of all that stuff while also admitting most of it is not very good. Serial-killer movies especially seem to mostly be terrible. The problem is they tend to focus on the gruesomeness of the killings without bothering to give us much else. The movies also tend to give serial killers outrageous and complicated reasons for killing while real-life serial killers tend to just kill because they like it.
The Silence of the Lambs is probably my favorite serial-killer movie but Seven comes in at a close second. What I find interesting about both films is that they take pulp material and elevate it into fine art. While I have a great fondness for Harris’ novel, when I look at it through more mature eyes I can see that it’s pulpy trash. Seven was an original screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker but it doesn’t do anything particularly original or thought provoking. What makes these stories so captivating is their direction and acting. Silence of the Lambs won Oscars for its two lead actors, its director, its screenplay, and won Best Picture. Seven didn’t fare so well at the award ceremonies but is now considered one of the greatest thrillers ever made. That comes directly from Fincher’s terrific sense of direction, fantastic performances from Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, and some incredible cinematography by Darius Khondji.
Freeman is particularly great as Detective Somerset, an intelligent, meticulous detective who has become disillusioned with the job after decades of dealing with the worst of the worst. During his last week before retirement, he’s partnered with Mills (Pitt), a relatively inexperienced and much more hot-headed detective who has just transferred into the city – a dirty, crime-filled city where the sun seems to never shine and the rain never stops.
They face a serial killer (portrayed by Kevin Spacey whose name was originally left off all the promotional material to keep the killer’s identity secret and whom the producers now probably wish they could wipe from it permanently) whose brutal killings are inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins of the Bible (gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and wrath).
Again, all of this is straight pulp. The aging detective pulled back into one last case. The young buck gunning to make his name. The crazy killer with a goofy raison d’être. That’s right out of the book of cliches. But damn if it doesn’t work.
This was Fincher’s second film as a director and darn if all his trademarks aren’t already in place. He makes great use of his camera with wide-angled shots, fluid movement, and an incredible sense of placement. You always understand who has control of any given scene by just the way his camera sits. His color palette is full of dark, dull shades. This is a very dark film, with many scenes taking place in dingy rooms with their shades pulled tight and very little electric light shining through. But Khondji always lets us see what’s happening and gives even the dirtiest, foulest crimes a sense of beauty.
This was one of Brad Pitt’s earliest serious roles and he’s good in it. He gives Mills a crackling energy like he’s about to pop right out of his skin. But truly, this is Freeman’s movie. He imbues Somerset with a gravitas. He’s quiet, always thinking, but with a grave understanding of how the world works. Without him, the film wouldn’t be nearly as good. I’ve given Andrew Kevin Walker quite a bit of crap in this review for a script that isn’t exactly original. But I will say that it moves like a thriller should. He supplies all the information we need in a scene and then gets us out. There is no fat on this thing at all.
Fincher has become one of my all-time favorite directors. He’s an incredible craftsman able to make something incredible out of even the pulpiest, cliche-ridden stories. It is shocking he was this good this early in his career.
Warner Brothers has given Seven an excellent new UHD transfer from an 8K scan of the original film elements. It looks fantastic. As noted, this is a very dark film and while it did look great on the previous Blu-ray release, this new transfer gives us details and clarity not seen since its original theatrical release. Oddly, it also comes with some minor CGI tweaks. Ever the perfectionist, Fincher mucked about with a few scenes to “improve” them. This is nothing like Lucas did with the Star Wars films but minor details only the biggest of fans will notice. He did things like add in a few clouds to make the fact that one scene was shot at different times of day unnoticeable or fixing a burnt-out lightbulb, etc. Nothing I would have even noticed were I not told about them.
All of the extras are ported over from the previous Blu-ray release. They include:
- Commentaries
- The Stars: David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
- The Story: Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, David Fincher
- The Picture: Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
- The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
- Deleted Scenes
- Car Ride in from Gluttony
- My Future
- Raid on Victor’s
- Spare Some Change?
- Tracy Wakes from Light Sleep
- Pride
- Alternate endings
- Animated storyboards of un-shot ending
- Original “Test” ending
- Still Photographs (featurettes)
- John Doe’s Photographs
- Victor’s Decomposition
- Police Crime Scene Photographs
- Production Photographs
- The Notebooks
- Production Design (featurette)
- Mastering for the Home Theater (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Early Storyboards (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Rough Version (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Final Edit (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary One – The Concept – Designer Kyle Cooper (featurette)
- Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary Two – The Sound – Brant Biles & Robert Margouleff
- Theatrical EPK
Seven is one of the best serial killer movies ever made. This new transfer is well worth the purchase.
