Warner Bros. | 1995 | 127 mins. | R
It’s hard to believe it’s been fifteen years since Se7en hit theaters. I saw the film twice, and it was then that I became a major David Fincher fan. In the subsequent years, I saw I every film he directed and came to realize that none of his films can be considered fluff; each is designed to make you think. I left the theater simply stunned after seeing 1998’s Fight Club, felt Panic Room was a real mind bender of a film and I’ve seen Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button several times—they’re both very good films. However, Se7en holds a special place in my movie heart because it was the movie that really introduced me to the talents of David Fincher.
From a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow), the film begins by showing us Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), who is working a crime scene in an anonymous metropolitan city. He’s long jaded by the sense of apathy that pervades the city and plans on retiring in the next week, when his replacement, Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) arrives. The two butt heads at every turn; Somerset is single, Mills is married to the pretty Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). Mills’ investigative style is tough and vigorous;’ Somerset’s is more measured and patient. However, when a deranged psychopath is murdering his victims and citing the seven deadly sins at the crime scenes, Somerset and Mills are tasked with finding and capturing him.
The murders depicted in the film are graphic and disturbing, which is noteworthy when you consider that we don’t actually see the killings. We’re only privy to the aftermath. Our imaginations must fill in the blanks and provide us with details more troubling that such scenes would have actually offered. There’s a reason the film is rated R for “grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings.” Fincher’s downbeat direction and Howard Shore’s oppressive score successfully allow the viewer to experience a growing sense of dread that grabs hold early on and doesn’t let up until the end.
It should be said that while Brad Pitt may have been the bigger box office draw at the time, this is really Morgan Freeman’s film. Somerset is a learned, sophisticated man living in a decidedly unsophisticated sphere. His eyes are extremely expressive, but there’s always an accompanying sense of weariness. Pitt’s performance is typical of his movies from that era—energetic and jittery. Pitt does a good job here but his performance is ultimately less compelling then Freeman’s
Even fifteen years after Se7en’s release the films themes continue to fascinate. No matter how many tinews you watch it, each time you’re likely to discover something new. If anything, Se7en feels somehow more relevant today than it did back in 1995.
The film arrives on Blu-ray sporting a very fine 1080p/2.40:1 transfer that offers a wonderfully natural, filmic look. This is probably Fincher’s darkest film visually to date, and the excellent detail brings out the specifics of scenes that have previously seemed just a tad too murky. Blacks are very deep and shadow delineation is superb. No matter how dark the film gets, the detail never falters.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track also is outstanding. Dialogue is well-balanced in the center channel with little (if any) bleeding into the other front channels, and the low-end from the subwoofer is powerful when called up.
It seems all the special features from the impressive Platinum Series two-disc release in 2000 have been retained, and the extra step of making this Blu-ray a digibook release is a nice touch, with more than 30 pages of interviews, biographies and pictures from the film.
Starting things off in the “Behind the Story” section we get four commentaries. The first is with Fincher, Pitt and Freeman, with the latter edited into the track. He discusses his approach to roles and the preparation that it entails, while Fincher and Pitt touch more on this film and what the symbolism of a particular scene may be. The next three tracks are hosted by British author Richard Dyer who wrote a book on the film. The first is with Fincher, Walker, Editor Richard Francis-Bruce and former New Line head Michael De Luca. This goes over the genesis for Walker’s idea and what Fincher and De Luca thought of the draft which had the ending that was in the film. Walker goes into more detail on the story and the conflict he wanted to create and everyone shares their thoughts on the story overall. Fincher for obvious reasons focuses more on the story aspect of the production to boot. Third is Fincher, Bruce, Director of Photography Darius Khondji and Production Designer Arthur Max, and the group talk about the visual and design intents that Fincher wanted for the film, inspirations for the respective cast members and film influences to consider as part of the process. The fourth is with Fincher, Shore and Sound Designer Ren Klyce. They hit on some of the same general themes that the third track does. A smaller “Still Photographs” section includes stills in five different areas of the film’s production.
The “Additional Footage” section includes eight deleted and extended scenes, including the film’s original opening, with optional commentary (19:20). The alternate ending area includes the original test ending and storyboards of an unshot second one (12:56). The “Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence” is just that, where you get a choice of watching storyboards offer two different versions of the sequence, along with four different sound options and two different commentary tracks on both. The “extras” section includes the EPK (6:40) and three different sections of home theater mastering. The audio, video and color correction sections of the disc run 23:18 in total and while technical, are very interesting to watch and listen to (each section has its own commentary). You can also look at three different telecine galleries which include the original and new video masters, along with the old (and new) Dolby 5.1 surround tracks. The trailer (2:28) closes things out.
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