Seven (Se7en) (1995)
92%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: NA
A brutal, relentlessly grimy shocker with taut performances, slick gore effects, and a haunting finale.
Seven is a movie that will make you want to sleep with the lights on for a week. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you can stomach the gruesome details, it’s a disturbing and suspenseful trip to the dark side. David Fincher’s directing prowess is on full display, and Morgan Freeman’s performance as a retiring policeman is a standout. The plot may be gimmicky, but it’s still a pretty involving murder mystery. Just don’t watch it alone in the dark.
Production Company(ies)
Lurker
Distributor
Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 22, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2000
Genre(s)
Drama/Crime
Keyword(s)
starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, directed by David Fincher, written by Andrew Kevin Walker, drama, crime, mystery, thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Gene Siskel, Michael Wilmington, Jami Bernard, John Hartl, Desmond Ryan, Jay Boyar, Quentin Crisp, James Croot, Margaret A McGurk, Nicholas Oon, Luke Hicks, Sean Collier, R-rated, Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle, produced by Criterion Collection, New Line Cinema, serial killer, seven deadly sins, retiring police detective, newly transferred detective, elaborate murders, haunting finale, taut performances, slick gore effects, brutal, relentlessly grimy shocker, Morgan Freeman’s performance, David Fincher’s directing prowess, suspenseful, psychological fabrication, thematic scope, open-ended vision, grisly imagery, cinematic tour de force
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Morgan Freeman – Detective Lt. William Somerset
Gwyneth Paltrow – Tracy Mills
R. Lee Ermey – Police Captain
Richard Roundtree – Dist. Atty. Martin Talbot
John C. McGinley – California
Director(s)
David Fincher
Writer(s)
Andrew Kevin Walker
Producer(s)
Arnold Kopelson, Phyllis Carlyle
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (68) | Rotten (15)
Worth seeing if you can look past the gruesome details.
March 29, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Unfortunately, most of the scenes in Seven are unlikely, which means that by the end of the movie the duo is battling not just an insane killer but an off-the-wall screenwriter.
March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
There’s none of the humor that takes the sting out of slasher movies, and certainly none of the psychology and depth that made The Silence of the Lambs such an intellectual thriller.
March 25, 2014 | Rating: 1/4
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Were it not for the gravity and thoughtfulness of Morgan Freeman’s performance as a retiring policeman, and the third-act appearance of its bizarre villain, Seven would be unendurable.
March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
The reason to see Seven, which is decidedly not for the faint of stomach, is not for the punishment of sin, but the many virtues of Freeman’s contribution.
March 25, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Desmond Ryan
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
The odd thing about Seven, however, is that except for its facile, familiar and ridiculously gimmicky plot, it’s a pretty involving murder mystery.
March 25, 2014
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Mr. Freeman has the easier part of the tired, unmoved, methodical policeman, and he plays it to perfection.
April 4, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
A searing, smart, very adult crime thriller.
November 18, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
A disturbing and suspenseful trip to the dark side.
August 19, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
A testament to David Fincher’s directing prowess. He is so good at directing your focus in this movie, and, like, just holding your attention.
August 14, 2021 | Rating: 9.1/10
Nicholas Oon
Maximum Hype (YouTube)
The modern serial killer film was far from invented by Fincher, but his entries have damn near immortalized the subgenre.
February 17, 2021
Luke Hicks
Film School Rejects
The structure of the narrative is dense but its beats are deliberate, making for a viewing experience that’s hypnotic on first viewing and only deepens on subsequent watches.
January 1, 2021 | Rating: 9/10
Sean Collier
Pittsburgh Magazine…
Plot
Detectives Somerset and Mills investigate a series of gruesome murders that lead them to a serial killer targeting people he believes represent the seven deadly sins in the dark and gritty crime thriller, Seven.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star as the odd couple detectives in this gritty crime thriller.
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