Se7en: Why Less is More (*Major Spoilers*)

David Fincher’s “Se7en” (1995), starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gweyneth Paltrow, is one of the best psychological horror films in American film history. The film takes place in a bleak and gloomy unnamed city where urban decay and all forms of crime run rampant. Days before retirement, Detective Lieutenant Somerset (Freeman) is tasked with breaking in his replacement, Detective Sergeant Mills (Pitt), before leaving. Somerset is a fatigued, older man, ready to move out of the country, convinced that the city is so irredeemably rotten and evil and acutely aware of the futility in his daily role. Mills, on the other hand, is an optimistic and naive rookie, eager to make a real difference having voluntarily transferred to the district and brought his wife along with him. Before Somerset can leave, however, a homicide case comes in, which he and Mills are assigned to investigate.

At first, “Se7en” appears to be a standard cat and mouse detective story. The first case dissolves into a string of ritual murders committed by a serial killer who, inspired by Dante Alighieri’s portrayal of the seven deadly sins in “The Divine Comedy,” sets out to preach about man’s impurity.

The film blends together a combination of dark visual style, intense plot development, and polished acting, while never straying outwards into unimportant details or resorting to Hollywood clichés. “Se7en” is uniquely thrilling in this way. Director Fincher reveals only the necessary information to get his message across, which is extremely effective in creating a compelling story with a gloomy atmosphere.

One of the most memorable and traumatizing scenes is the crime inspired by the sin “lust.” Somerset and Mills are led down into an underground brothel room by a police officer, who lifts the sheet covering the dead victim on her bed. Viewers are never given a glimpse at the prostitute herself. Instead, the scene cuts away to two parallel investigation rooms. In one, Somerset records the gory retelling of the crime by the only other person found at the crime scene. In the other, Mills interrogates the brothel-keeper. Here, the film uses small pieces of information to fill in the bigger picture. Instead of witnessing an extremely gory flashback to the crime, the audience is left only with the aftermath, as are our main characters.

We witness the trauma of the co-perpetrator, the shock of the policemen, and the apathy of the brothel-keeper. We hear the co-perpetrator stammer out how the killer had strapped a knife onto his crotch, and had forced him to sleep with the prostitute at gunpoint.

The film does not doubt the intelligence of its audience and in showing only the most necessary details, allows the the audience to paint the picture of the crime on their own. The power of suggestion is extremely impressive and employed well to disturb the audience without becoming gratuitous.

“Se7en” continues to employ this technique until the very end, in a plot twist that completes the series of ritual murders. John Doe, the mastermind behind the serial killings, turns himself in to Somerset and Mills two murders away from completing his “masterpiece.” He claims to have the remaining victims in a hidden location and is willing to show the detectives where the bodies are as long as they come alone. Otherwise, he threatens to plead insanity.

Somerset and Mills are directed by Doe to drive out to a remote desert area. The change of setting is jarring, as in contrast to the gloomy, cramped city that the majority of the film is set in, the desert is bright and barren. A delivery van steadily approaches the police car, which alarms Somerset. He stops the van, to which the driver responds he was told to arrive at the location at this specific time to deliver a box. As Somerset carefully opens the box, an unexpected yet well-calculated object emerges, completing the frightful series of ritual murders.

The scene’s focus on subtlety in its characters’ actions and reactions helps heighten the sense of dread that constantly surrounds the story of “Se7en.” Pitt skillfully delivers Mills’ character as he goes through the stages of grief in a matter of minutes. His breakdown is disturbing but realistic and brings viewers into the traumatizing experience alongside him. The film has worked to create authentic connections between the main characters and the audience, which allows the empathy of the audience to fill in the details of the anxiety-ridden scene. The scene also relies on the friendship formed by the main characters to achieve its level of impact. Freeman’s acting backs up the intense emotions behind this scene. His facial muscles tense up and distort as the terrible events begin to unfold before his eyes, perfectly depicting the reaction of a cynical old man to the worst horrors imaginable.

Overall, Fincher’s “Se7en” is an incredibly intelligent film. He progresses shots with limited information and capitalizes on his actors’ abilities to convey subtle and nuanced emotions in order to create an incredibly compelling story with a tense and gloomy atmosphere. The film is uniquely thrilling in how it immerses the audience into Doe’s serial killings and his twisted motive to play God behind his crimes. It creates as much fear and uncertainty in the audience as it does within its characters as the story progresses. “Se7en” is tight and calculated, letting all of its small pieces make up the bigger picture.