Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)The joy of this marathon is that I have a decent idea what to expect, and that is loving most of these films. That is the whole point. I saw Se7en once back in 2001 and I definitely remembered it as a good experience. It does everything I could hope for in a crime thriller. The premise of the seven deadly sins is a strong hook, like an addictive pop song. It seems a bit easy in some ways, a substitute for real character development for the serial killer, but it is just delightful as pulp fiction.
I do appreciate that the film holds us back at the pace that the detectives work the case rather than cutting around to put us in an omnipotent role. That said, there aren't a lot of clues here, it isn't about the mystery so much as the atmosphere (something that the script commentary touches upon). This aspect does perhaps prevent us from fully appreciating why each murder is selected or how it fits, leading to a frustrating bit of exposition toward the end. One thing about the end that does not really work for me,
through the first five murders the victims were guilty of the associated sin, but Tracy Mills does not seem to be guilty of any, rather she is the victim of John Doe's sin and Doe is the victim of Det. Mills' sin. This leads to a very interesting ending but seems to be a flaw in the logic.
I think Se7en is a good example of when we need to remember not to go too far in demanding art rather than entertainment. Whether it was because I was younger and more easily impressed, this movie had left an impression of being deep. In rewatching it I realize it is actually a fairly shallow story, but it is still fabulous entertainment and I'm not sure this should be considered taking anything away from it. It is faux-deep by putting an intellectual veneer on a pretty simple story, much like David Mills use of Cliffs' notes in the film. It seems to give us what we really want while also giving us the cover to feel better about wanting it.
Rating: 4/5
Next up is the one Fincher selection (that is released) that I have not seen (in its entirety anyhow), The Game. I should mention that I did not include Alien3 in the marathon. I don't think being a hired gun in the middle of a series is a useful indicator of one's style. I have seen it however and as a child not old enough to probably be watching it, I remember liking it in that dumb exciting movie kind of way.