Se7en (1995) ft. Peterson W. Hill

Guest:

• Peterson W. Hill - Co-Host of the War Starts at Midnight podcast

  • @petersonwhill on IG, Letterboxd, and Twitter

  • Previous Guest on Gone Girl (2014), Parasite (2019), Fight Club (1999), Ben-Hur (1959), Up in the Air (2009), The Shop Around the Corner (1940), La Dolce Vita (1960), The Social Network (2010) Revisit, Pather Panchali (1955)

Cast:

• David Fincher, Director

• Andrew Kevin Walker, Writer

• Darius Khondji, Cinematography

• Howard Shore, Music

• Brad Pitt as David Mills

• Morgan Freeman as William Somerset

• Gwyneth Paltrow as Tracy Mills

• Richard Roundtree as Martin Talbot

• R. Lee Ermey as the police captain

• John C. McGinley as California

• Kevin Spacey as John Doe

Background:

• Se7en was released on September 22, 1995.

• On a budget of $33-34 million, the film would gross $327 million worldwide finishing as the #1 film of the year for 1995.

• Se7en received mostly positive reviews at the time and would be nominated for one Oscar for Best Film Editing.

• In the years since its release, Seven has grown in esteem, receiving general critical praise, and being described by the British Film Institute (BFI) as a groundbreaking thriller.

• A 2014 poll by The Hollywood Reporter ranked Se7en the eighty-fifth-best film of all time.

• In audience-voted polls, Se7en has been listed at number 15 (2006), 30, and 37 (2023) on lists of the greatest films conducted by the publications Total Film and Empire.

• Empire's 2008 poll of readers, Hollywood actors, and key film critics ranked Se7en at number 134 on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, while Time Out's 2022 staff poll ranked it number 87.

• It was recognized by the Cinema Legacy Poll at #105 this year.

• The film's ending has been described as one of the most shocking and unforgettable plot twists in cinematic history. Pitt's line "What's in the box?" as he asks Somerset to confirm the contents of Doe's box, has become iconic, and is used in popular culture and internet memes. Walker credited the twist as one of the primary reasons for Seven's success. Although it is only implied that Tracy's head is in the box, Fincher recalled an encounter with a woman who believed she had seen the contents of the box. Fincher believed that leaving the implication to the audience's imagination had been more effective than showing a special effect. Paltrow wore a replica box over her head as her Halloween costume in 2017.

• Se7en currently holds an 84% among critics on RT, a 65 score on Metacritic, and a 4.4/5 on Letterboxd.

Plot Summary: Se7en, directed by David Fincher, is a dark crime thriller about two detectives trying to stop a serial killer. Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), an older cop close to retirement, is partnered with Detective Mills (Brad Pitt), a younger officer new to the city. They begin investigating a series of murders where each crime represents one of the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath.

The killer, John Doe, carefully plans each murder as a twisted lesson about human corruption. Somerset and Mills struggle to keep up as the crimes grow more shocking and disturbing. The case takes a personal turn when Doe finally surrenders, leading the detectives to a final trap that tests their morals.

The movie explores themes of justice, morality, and the darkness of human nature. Its bleak atmosphere and shocking ending leave a lasting impact, making Seven one of the most powerful crime films of the 1990s.

Did You Know:

• When Mills and Somerset go to Wild Bill's Leather Store looking for information about John Doe, the clerk says that Doe "had a limp". Behind them, outside the store, a man limping is shown watching the detectives.

• New Line Cinema executives originally balked at the film's ending, but Brad Pitt refused to make the film if the ending was changed.

• David Fincher told Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt "this is not going to be the movie that you're remembered for, but it may be a movie you're incredibly proud of."

• Denzel Washington turned down the role of Mills that went to Brad Pitt, telling Entertainment Weekly that the film was too "dark and evil." Washington later regretted his decision upon seeing a screening.

• All of John Doe's books were real books, written for the film. They took two months to complete, and cost $15,000.

• David Fincher was impressed with Gwyneth Paltrow's work in Flesh and Bone (1993). She was his first choice for the role of Brad Pitt's wife. Paltrow was initially not interested, so Fincher asked her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt to convince her to meet with him.

Best Performance: David Fincher (Director)/Brad Pitt (Mills)

Best Secondary Performance: Morgan Freeman (Somerset)/Andrew Kevin Walker (Writer)

Most Charismatic Award: Gwyneth Paltrow (Tracy)/Morgan Freeman (Somerset)/David Fincher (Director)

Best Scene:

• Gluttony

• Dinner

• Sloth

• Diner

• Foot Chase

• What's in the Box?

Favorite Scene: Foot Chase/Diner/

Most Indelible Moment: What's in the Box?/Sloth

In Memorium:

• Per Mattsson, 77, Swedish actor (Fanny and Alexander, Anita: Swedish Nymphet)

• Bobby Hart, 86, American musician (Boyce and Hart) and songwriter ("Come a Little Bit Closer", "Last Train to Clarksville")

• Salli Sachse, 82, American actress (Muscle Beach Party, The Trip, Wild in the Streets)

• Polly Holliday, 88, American actress (Alice, Gremlins, The Parent Trap)

• Edward Faulkner, 93, American actor (McClinktock!, Rio Lobo, The Green Berets)

• Patricia Crowley, 91, American actress (Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Forever Female, There's Always Tomorrow, Key Witness)

• Marilyn Knowlden, 99, American actress (Little Women, Imitation of Life, Les Miserables, A Woman Rebels, Show Boat)

• Robert Redford, 89, American actor and director (Ordinary People, All the President's Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, Out of Africa, The Natural)

Best Lines/Funniest Lines:

David Mills: Wait, I thought all you did was kill innocent people.

John Doe: Innocent? Is that supposed to be funny? An obese man... a disgusting man who could barely stand up; a man who if you saw him on the street, you'd point him out to your friends so that they could join you in mocking him; a man, who if you saw him while you were eating, you wouldn't be able to finish your meal. After him, I picked the lawyer and I know you both must have been secretly thanking me for that one. This is a man who dedicated his life to making money by lying with every breath that he could muster to keeping murderers and rapists on the streets!

William Somerset: If we catch John Doe and he turns out to be the devil, I mean if he's Satan himself, that might live up to our expectations, but he's not the devil. He's just a man.

John Doe: Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention.

William Somerset: Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.

David Mills: You're no messiah. You're a movie of the week. You're a fucking t-shirt, at best.

David Mills: I've been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you clearly are, do you know that you're insane? Maybe you're just sitting around, reading "Guns and Ammo", masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, "Wow! It is amazing how fucking crazy I really am!"? Yeah. Do you guys do that?

David Mills: What's in the box?

David Mills: I don't think you're quitting because you believe these things you say. I don't. I think you want to believe them, because you're quitting. And you want me to agree with you, and you want me to say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right. It's all fucked up. It's a fucking mess. We should all go live in a fucking log cabin." But I won't. I won't say that. I don't agree with you. I do not. I can't.

John Doe: I visited your home this morning after you'd left. I tried to play husband. I tried to taste the life of a simple man. It didn't work out, so I took a souvenir... her pretty head.

John Doe: Nothing wrong with a man taking pleasure in his work. I won't deny my own personal desire to turn each sin against the sinner.

William Somerset: It's impressive to see a man feeding off his emotions.

William Somerset: Even the most promising clues usually only lead to others.

William Somerset: David. If you kill him, he will win.

The Stanley Rubric:

Legacy: 8.5

Impact/Significance: 9

Novelty: 9

Classic-ness: 8.67

Rewatchability: 7.5

Audience Score: 9.3 (91% Google, 95% RT)

Total: 51.97

Remaining Questions:

• What happens to Mills?

• How long does Somerset stay?

• Why do you think Mills wanted to come to the Unnamed City?

• Does this movie take place on Earth?