Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Bravo New Line
First of all, I have to say, what a movie! This definitely is one movie to talk about. This movie exploits the seven deadly sins at their extremes. This picture has great acting as well as great storyline. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freedman do an excellent job, not to mention the "John Doe Killer," when he finally makes his appearance. The musical score was well done and the video transfer and all the work that they put into this picture is shown beautifully. As each of the scenes are done to crystal clarity, colors redone to the directors fitting, shots readjusted, you won't see a more stunning quality picture on other DVDs. The sound effects, especially from the constant rainfall and natural surroundings will astound you. Excellent use of the Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES systems. The rain definitely must be mentioned, for it almost plays it's own role as a character. Often times I found myself double taking and rewinding just to make sure that the sounds I heard were from the movie and not from real life.The Supplemental DVD also has to be noted for it's upstanding part in this Platinum Series. There is so much to this dvd that you'll spend a full weekend just trying to get through this all. Commentary on how they redid and re-adjusted everything for this DVD was intriguing. If you liked the movie or had interest in the movie, buy this DVD. You will not be disappointed. With a mind blowing plot and beatiful video transfer and musical score to accompany it, you can't go wrong. Not to mention the extra Supplemental DVD. Well worth your money and your time.
Rating: - Both thrilling and intellectually challenging
This is a review of the video version of Seven.This movie stars Brad Pitt as a brash young detective partnered with Morgan Freeman's character, a cerebral, experienced detective, as they try to catch a serial killer who murders people according to themes derived from the seven deadly sins (gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy and wrath). What might have been merely a clever idea becomes not only a stylish and exciting thriller, but also a challenging work of philosophy. I don't want to give anything away in this review. (Several other reviews here tell you which actor plays the serial killer. I didn't know when I saw it, and I thought it was a great surprise, so I won't mention his name.) But I would like to comment on some of the surprisingly deep things director David Fincher does in this movie. The framework of the Seven Deadly Sins is more than just a throw-away. The people who are killed really are, by almost anybody's standards, unlikable people. This leads into the deeper question the movie raises about the value of human existence. Why is humanity worth fighting for? Morgan Freeman's character, a brilliant detective, is about to take early retirement precisely because he seems to have decided that, after years of fighting the good fight, the human race just isn't worth the effort. He is challenged by his new partner. Brad Pitt's character has a seemingly indestructible passion for trying to rid the world of evil. Pitt's and Freeman's character's represent two sides of the human soul. Freeman is pure intellect. Pitt is all passion. (I don't know whether Fincher intended this, but the contrast between the two officers is like the contrast between the rational and the non-rational parts of the soul in Aristotle.) The movie uses various visual devices to suggest the contrast. One shot shows Freeman and Pitt on opposite sides of a wall. We also see Freeman in his meticulous apartment, all by himself, but later see Pitt in the messy apartment he shares with his loving wife (played very nicely by Gwynneth Paltrow). According to Aristotle, the intellectual and passionate aspects of the soul must work in harmony for either to develop its full potential. In the movie, Pitt and Freeman gradually learn to work together, as is suggested by a scene near the end where they make pleasant banter while gearing up for what they hope will be the operation that closes the case. Intellectual movies can be ponderous, but this one is not. Even if you couldn't care less about the philosophical underpinnings of the movie, you'll enjoy its quick pace and tightening sense of terror. There is a chase scene near the middle of the movie that will have you sweating, and the tension really ratchets up during the climax of the movie. You know something bad will happen, but you're not sure what it will be. Well, that's not 100% true. One minor weakness of this movie is that, about 15 or 20 minutes from the end, I had a pretty good guess what kind of thing was going to happen. However, I also knew that one of the characters would have to make a key existential choice, and there was a lot of tension waiting to see what he would do. So for both intellectual challenge and sheer fun, I recommend Seven.
Rating: - Disturbing to the core
Hollywood has a tendency to pull its punches with movies, like the film wants to say something, but at the end of the day the studio is more concerned with cuddling the audience, so the message falls flat. Seven is one of those rare movies that makes it past the studio bigwigs and does exactly what it wants to do. THe story is about a veteran detective (Morgan Freeman) who teams with an insolent, rookie cop (Brad Pitt) to catch a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who kills people in the style of the seven deadly sins. Fincher (Fight Club) has a perfect sense of pacing and visuals and tells this disturbing, haunting story very well, making sure all of the punches hit home. This 2 set DVD is chock-full of movie-making goodness. Although most of the included cut-scenes are mostly alternate or extended takes of shots, it is interesting to see the evolution of the movie. Also, the features about the making of the opening credits are fascinating. I never knew how much work went into that small portion of the movie. The commentaries, although sometimes overcrowded with voices, are, as one would expect from Fincher, very informative and informal. Fincher seems to really enjoy what he does and he has a lot of good stuff to say about his craft. Although this movie has little onscreen violence, I can't recommend it to those that are soft of heart, some of the imagery is very disturbing. For others, this is a must, and if fully stacked DVDs are your cup of tea, I also recommend Fincher's Fight Club, another 2 Disc set filled with goodies.
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