Seven
1995, Drama/Crime, 2h 5m
83 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
A brutal, relentlessly grimy shocker with taut performances, slick gore effects, and a haunting finale. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
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Movie Info
When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is targeting people he thinks represent one of the seven deadly sins. Somerset also befriends Mills' wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is pregnant and afraid to raise her child in the crime-riddled city.
Cast & Crew
Brad Pitt
Detective David Mills
Detective David Mills
Morgan Freeman
Detective Lt. William Somerset
Detective Lt. William Somerset
Gwyneth Paltrow
Tracy Mills
Tracy Mills
R. Lee Ermey
Police Captain
Police Captain
Richard Roundtree
Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot
Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot
John C. McGinley
California
California
Critic Reviews for Seven
Audience Reviews for Seven
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Oct 28, 2020Se7en put David Fincher on the map with this uber-creepy mystery thriller. The crime scenes are so grisly Seven is often ranked with top horror movies. And the ending -- hoo boy. One of the best twists in modern movie history.Mark B Super Reviewer
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Sep 06, 2020Probably Fincher's best movie, at least among the Fincher movies I've seen, it's also among his darkest. It's themes are pretty in your face, really holding it's message right up to your nose. Not just with the Deadly Sins aspect, but also in the darkness of the world and the old cop style versus new cop. However, the themes are good, and possibly more relevant now than when the film first came out. And I like the themes of the movie, they never feel outright heavy-handed, but appropriate and interesting. I also love the look of the film. It's grimy and gross and you can almost smell it, but it's that disgusting New York crime film that has a distinct vibe and style. It's a thrilling story, and you want to see it solved, and seeing the two cops figure it out and slowly get closer themselves is a definitely a bit tropey but it's still enjoyable. The funny thing with it is I knew some of the spoilers to this movie ("what's in the box?") so I had an idea where it was going, but seeing it get there was still a great ride. That being said, knowing that made me realize one of these characters really gets the shaft here. It's hard to say too much without deliving into spoilers, but there is a character who gets treated more as a plot device than anything else. That being said, I still really liked the film. It's got great tension, acting, and an overall style.Michael M Super Reviewer
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Nov 27, 2017"I'm setting the example. What I've done is going to be puzzled over and studied and followed... forever." Is an interesting line delivered at a major moment of revelation in Seven. I think its an interesting reflection of the movie itself too. I am not sure there is anything terribly sophisticated about Seven. There does not have to be for a good crime thriller to really work. I find when you describe this movie coldly and descriptively it all seems a little banal. There's an odd couple pairing of detectives, played by two pretty wonderful actors. The grizzled cop about to retire, who has spent a little too long in the game. The fresh, young and careless rookie, out to make a name for himself. Morgan Freeman is so perfectly that veteran with a commanding and ominous presence. Brad Pitt also works well as the rookie. This film is also set against the most obvious of thriller settings, a relentlessly dark city, always raining or about to. A color scheme that never managed to lift its brush too far from grey. There's some unique visceral imagery, the "kills" are haunting and troubling. Some are showed more than we want. Others I, frankly, wish I knew more, as the imagination is sometimes so much worse. Then there is the big reveal of our monster. Oh and what a reveal, what a commanding performance. Brief, menacing and psychologically domineering. If you stop to think about this movie it is all a little preposterous, but who would? You are so busy taking it all in. You cannot really stop to pick apart the problems. I wrote through this dry shopping list of descriptors trying to work out what worked about the movie, a standard list of crime cliches it seems. Doing this exercise, I sort of realized what Seven reminded me of. It is a well done painting. If you strip it all down it is really predictable brush strokes and common themes. But it sings. It puzzles, and it draws you in for study. It's a masterful cop buddy piece. It is the right measure of brutality and imagination. The twists work. The reveal works. It works. This movie reminds us why we have a conception of a script or formula for certain movies. Thrillers have things we've come to expect, the same can be said of every genre. Seven reminds you why this is the archetype for these movies. When you put the strokes together just right, it is really something to behold.Shane S Super Reviewer
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May 26, 2016David Fincher's sophisticated thriller is filled with daunting symbolism and an open-ended vision of grisly imagery. Se7en is a psychological fabrication of thematic scope and suspenseful sequences that pays off in the mid 90s and is still revered as one of Fincher's best and a cinematic tour de force. 4.5/5Eugene B Super Reviewer
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