Detective Lt. William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and
his new partner, Det. David Mills (Brad Pitt), wrack their brains trying to
solve a series of murders that follow a strange pattern. The victims are being
killed in a manner illustrating the "seven deadly sins" of mankind:
wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony.
The coroner concludes the first victim died when he
"burst" internally from being forged with food. The word
"Gluttony" is found scratched on the wall behind the refrigerator.
Lt. Somerset actually wants off the case – he's going to retire soon. He's even
having his name removed from his office door. But his boss, the Police Captain
(R. Lee Ermey), refuses his request.
Mills isn't too happy either; he feels the
lieutenant is treating him like a rookie. It isn't until his wife, Tracy
(Gwyneth Paltrow), invites Somerset to dinner in their subway-shaking apartment
that the ice finally thaws and they start clicking.
Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot (Richard Roundtree)
appears on television in response to media inquiries about a prominent attorney
that was killed. The word "Greed" was found written at the scene. It
is what it is – a serial killer who apparently is preaching through his
actions.
The captain thinks the killer's been identified.
Somerset and Mills don't buy it. Turns out they're right. It's not their man.
They find him near death, apparently the "sloth" victim, shackled to
his bed, kept alive with tubes, handless, apparently for a year.
Their seemingly off-the-wall research takes them to
a man identified in an under-the-table FBI search as Jonathan (John) Doe. The
chase is on; they're finally getting close. So the killer steps up his schedule
and targets a prostitute ("lust") and her customer. Next, he
disfigures a beautiful young woman to death ("pride").
Then, John Doe turns himself in. But why? Is he
playing with the police? What happened to "wrath" and
"envy"? His lawyer, Mark Swarr (Richard Schiff), relays his offer. He
has two more victims somewhere, and will plead guilty to all charges if
Somerset and Mills go with him to the victims' location.
They do just that. And that takes us to the shocking
conclusion.
Andrew Kevin Walker, who wrote the script, plays the
first dead man in the movie. Charles S. Dutton has an uncredited part as a cop.
Kevin Spacey, who played John Doe, is not mentioned
in the opening credits, in order to surprise the audience later. Also, watch
the opening scene carefully; all the building addresses begin with the number
7. Finally, seven minutes into the film, the seven murders begin.
Entertainment
Weekly ranked Seven
as the eighth-scariest film of all time. It was a huge success, returning more
than $327 million against its $30-million budget. The film was nominated for a
Best Film Editing Oscar but did not win.
Grade:
B+
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