Much like podcasts and Netflix documentaries are big on them now, the 1990s were big on theatrical crime thrillers which often followed our protagonist(s) on the hunt to stop a serial killer before they struck again. Like any genre that sees an influx of releases there were plenty of these films that didn’t leave a lasting impression, but there was also a decent amount that were unforgettable – or at least contained moments that would be seared into your memories for decades to come. 1995’s Se7en fell into the latter category, and 30 years later it is ready to remind you why.
Se7en stars Morgan Freeman as Detective Somerset, a grizzled vet on the force who has had the light that once guided him on his mission for justice extinguished by the ever-growing darkness blanketing the world. Because of this he’s – wait for it – one week away from retirement. I’m not sure how often this actually happens in movies, as cliché as it’s known to be, but it’s understandable here. Somerset has seen enough of what the world has to offer and he’d like to go find a remote place somewhere to live out the rest of his days in some sort of peace. To counter him we’ve got Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) joining the force, and he’s someone who still has that light in his eye and wants to do right by the world around him – though he’s young and often leads with his emotions, which is something Somerset warns him is the wrong way to work in their business.
Now it wouldn’t be a movie if Somerset didn’t get mixed up in one big last case, and that’s just about where we begin, with Somerset and Mills arriving on the scene where a morbidly obese man has been found dead, hands and feet bound, face down in a plate of spaghetti. Somerset instantly knows that this is the beginning of something much larger and tries to pass the case on to someone else, but he’s told by his captain that there’s nobody else free and the case is his. Mills says he’ll take it, but Somerset says it shouldn’t be his first case, the two butt heads and the captain reassigns Mills to another murder.
But Somerset is an old-fashioned detective who follows his gut and knows where to find clues that others may miss. This nagging feeling, and some pieces of plastic pulled from the first victim’s stomach, lead him to discover the word “Gluttony” written in grease behind the fridge at the crime scene. This may not mean much on its own, however, the murder that Mills was assigned to saw a lawyer killed in dramatic fashion with the word “Greed” written in blood on the floor beside the body. Somerset, being incredibly well read, points out that these are two of the seven deadly sins and that these two murders are just the beginning, with five more likely to come unless they can stop whoever is behind it.
If Se7en were made today it likely would’ve been a season of True Detective, or at the very least a standalone miniseries. That’s just how this type of story is told now and I’m sure it would’ve been fantastic in that format; however, it still works incredibly well as a tight two-hour movie, as director David Fincher knows how to up the tension with a nice slow burn and there’s a reason the film was nominated for Best Film Editing (kudos to editor Richard Francis-Bruce). Some may find the burn a bit too slow early on, but it really does lay the groundwork well and the second half of the film really begins to press down on the gas and there are a number of moments that are incredibly disturbing in terms of murders that take place. I wouldn’t say that Se7en leans heavily into shock value, but it also doesn’t hold back when it comes to the violent nature in which these murders are being carried out.
The chemistry between Freeman and Pitt is exactly what you’d want from the pair, as these are two extremely high profile actors, with Pitt truly coming into his own at this point in time, and this movie is so engrossing that all that exist are Somerset and Mills, which is no small feat. What also helps is the brilliant cinematography by Darius Khondji, the production design, set design and art direction by Arthur Max, Clay A. Griffith and Gary Wissner respectively. The entire film feels dark and eerie, as there’s nowhere these characters go that doesn’t feel like they’re in a section of Hell with how hopeless it feels. The score by Howard Shore also keeps a constant sense of dread in the viewer’s subconscious, with every revelation delivering an answer or two, but also opening up more questions and doors to a world so dark that one wouldn’t enter unless they had no choice.
Fincher knows what he wants and while someone else could’ve directed Se7en it’s hard to say whether or not it would’ve been as memorable. That’s impossible to say, but one could argue that it’s Fincher’s touch that brings out the best in everyone else above and in doing so helped create one of the more iconic crime thrillers of our time. It’s been 30 years and I’d say at least 20 since I’d seen Se7en last, and while it’ll never pack the same exact punch it did when I first watched it back in 1995, it’s still just as captivating and visually impressive as it was all those decades ago. What’s great about that is that we’ve now got multiple generations who have potentially yet to experience the impact of that the first viewing of Se7en, and this 4K restoration allows for them to do so in sinfully gorgeous fashion.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This 4K restoration was sourced from the original camera negative and was also overseen by Fincher himself and it truly does transport you to this dark, underworld of a city and captures the mood of the story brilliantly. The details that come to life here in your home are fantastic, albeit, once again, incredibly dark. Not visually, though the use of shadows and lighting do lean into that quite often, but dark tonally and thematically. But this top tier restoration allows for the natural light and lighting used in each scene to pop nicely, while the dark shadows are rich and deep blacks and don’t suffer from unsightly muddying. As a whole if you’ve never seen the film then this is the way to see it, and if you own its previous Blu-ray release then this 4K restoration is strong enough to warrant the upgrade if this film holds a high place in your collection.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a superb DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio that delivers beautifully on all fronts in a surround sound environment. We’ve got voices and sound effects coming from side speakers, we’ve got clean and clear dialogue front and center that never battles with the booming score, and we’ve got that same score being both in your face, as well as subtly under the radar throughout. As a whole this 4K offering is the total package, which is exactly what fans would’ve been hoping for as a gift for this anniversary release.
Special Features:
There are no new special features with this release, which is fine. It would’ve been nice to have had a small updated retrospective from Fincher, but we’ve got a number of those already here, so there’s probably not much more he could add of value, and his time was probably better spent on the restoration as well as whatever current projects he’s working on.
The legacy features are as follows:
Audio Commentary – We’ve got the best of all works when it comes to commentary tracks. This is such a great way to delve into the various aspects of filmmaking, really giving a view of the movie from every angle for those interested. First up:
The Stars: We’ve got a track featuring Fincher, Pitt and Freeman. While the others are interesting for all their own reasons, this will be the one that will be of interest to even casual film fans.
The Story: This track has Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca and David Fincher focusing on the story of the film.
The Picture: This commentary track features Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer and David Fincher and focuses on the look and style of the movie.
The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer and David Fincher talk about, you guessed it, the sound of Se7en.
Deleted Scenes – We’ve got a handful of deleted scenes (six, so a bit more than a handful) for those interested. They’re also available with commentary tracks, which does up their appeal, even if they usually don’t interest you.
Alternate Endings – While deleted scenes don’t pull me in, I’ll always check out and compare an alternate ending. Often the right choice was made, but there are a couple of times where you go, “Hey, that actually would’ve worked!” Rare, but it does happen. With these though, the correct choice was made. We’ve got one ending that’s almost exactly the same as the one we end up with, but it lacks the emotional close-ups and drawn-out tension that the final product has. Then we’ve got a storyboard alternate ending, which you can read alongside music playing. It’s pretty terrible and I understand why it wasn’t shot at all. It’s the same location and build as the ending we’ve got, but the final moments change, the dialogue is cringeworthy, and the final note would’ve just taken everything away from the movie. Crazy how one moment could take away iconic status, but here we are.
Production Design – We’ve got a 9-minute featurette on the production design, which is well worth the quick watch, as they do such a great job with the look of this film.
Still Galleries – We’ve got over 41-minutes of still galleries, which come with commentary by photographer Melodie McDaniel.
Mastering for Home Theater – Sometimes these pieces are left off future releases, as they become dated; however, this one remains and I’m happy it is. It’s just over 23-minutes in length and we get to see some of the older process of bringing the film home for audiences.
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence – Here’s an 8-and-a-half-minute featurette that focuses on the truly awesome opening title sequence. There’s optional commentary by designer Kyle Cooper, Brant Biles and Robert Margouleff.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Se7en. Directed by: David Fincher. Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker. Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, . Running time: 127 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Jan. 7, 2025.
About Brendan Campbell
