Se7en
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 205 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 188 out of 205
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 205
  3. Negative: 9 out of 205

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  1. Riren
    Jan 31, 2007
    4
    Seven is one of the more disappointing horror films in a long time. It aims incredibly high in its moral thinking, but the majority of the seven "sin killings" lack any real visceral imagination. Either they're contrived and impossible, or not really that imaginative to begin with. It's been over sixty years since Freud died, and somebody still thinks a knife strapped to your penis is creative? And so we follow two detectives (Freeman and Pitt, very good actors who try very hard to keep this melodramatic massacre afloat) across various overly art-designed murder scenes. There is no deep moral thinking behind the murders, so much as there is shock value. These scenes are so contrived that we arrive at most after they are done, to spare us from seeing the director try to suspend our disbelief in depicting them. Still we march, hoping to catch the killer, pretending this movie will really end with him caught when only three or four of the eponymous seven plots have been carried out. It builds to the point when we finally get to meet the killer and hear his reasoning, which sounds like it could have been written by a jaded teenager. By this point you've been beaten over the head with so much forced atmosphere and disgusting imagery that you either give in or leave. It's got all the grit, grime and hopelessness post-modern cinema demands, but if you can enjoy it, you may belong on John Doe's list.… Expand
  2. realcritics
    Feb 1, 2011
    0
    One of the best films of the 90s.Thrilling,outstanding with beautiful perfomances by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.It's really disgusting,blood packed but it doesn't fail to impress with its well crafted and clever plot.A real classic!
  3. JaredC.
    Sep 9, 2007
    2
    Who's writing all those sparkling reviews, come on like seriously give me a break. I rated Se7en a good 2 because really, I don't see the point to all of these grisly and disturbing murders, it just doesn't make any sense. Morgan Freeman always gives a good hint of magnificence in his stellar performances and roles, but in Se7en he doesn't even try. Didn't get very much out of him. And Brad Pitt, whoa!!! Too fast and too furious with his minor act as his character flew out the window and got me flying in the sky feeling very comfortable for about a second until I lost it, right when the lightning smashed into the white and dull sky. I was hit with disappointment and totally heartbroken. Nobody really actually acts in this movie, they just go with the flow what David Fincher, the Director, tells them to do. And as you're reading this review, you're going to be wondering why I rated Se7en a good 2 instead of a fat 0. I'll tell you why, because truly it was a film to like but not to enjoy for sure. I liked it, just watch it once and don't watch it again because after watching the film you read all these dazzling reviews thinking that it wasn't that bad. Well, that's why you say you liked it, but seriously, you wouldn't enjoy it what so ever. It's so boring. I fell asleep the second time watching it. Although the film gave a huge amount of detail and material that was so fascinating. I couldn't breathe for moments. All the gory murders and suspenseful grisly afterview tapes got your spine tingling. That was really the only entertaining part about the movie. It's one of those teenager violent/horror films to laugh to in a group type of film. But since I've overgrown that stage and matured, I think of it quite differently. A nasty film may be funny to some, but gruesomely dull for those who care to notice.… Expand
  4. CharlieS.
    Jan 30, 2008
    0
    Lousy and vile.
  5. AlexL
    Jan 17, 2009
    0
    The movie is so self indulgent and preachy that it forgets to even name the place it takes place, let alone develop its cliche characters. The people who gave it a 10 were too busy enjoying the blood and Brad Pitts bad acting to notice the lack of story.
  6. David
    Mar 31, 2005
    3
    Overrated, nihilistic and surprisingly predictable.
  7. KentC.
    Jan 14, 2008
    3
    I don't mind the blood, gore, or language. The reason I gave this movie such a low score is because it was BORING. It was very hard to sit through and I got tired of watching it right away. Skip this and watch "Zodiac", the superior of Fincher's two serial killer movies.
  8. Halfwelshman
    Feb 26, 2012
    4
    Seven makes for a diverting, if rarely entertaining crime-thriller. The plot held so much promise - a film about a deranged serial killer basing his elaborate murders around the seven deadly sins could have been really interesting and really memorable. As it is, Seven is always technically flawless, with atmospheric lighting, well-framed shots and a gritty noirish feel to the whole film (a testament to David Fincher's skill as a director even this early in his career), but it's just not particularly engaging. The story moves at a snail's pace, with lengthy and clunky exposition and extended philosophy-heavy dialogue scenes linking together the discoveries of each of the victim's brutalised bodies. Morgan Freeman is at his very best playing good-natured and by-the-book, but and frustrated police detective William Somerset, and Kevin Spacey makes a creepy, emotionally detached killer. Brad Pitt, however, is not on form. If you compare Detective David Mills to his most prominent roles just before and just after Seven (True Romance and Interview with the Vampire, and Twelve Monkeys) Pitt's performance just looks lazy, smug, and under-developed. Gwyneth Paltrow as Tracy, Detective Mills' wife, makes little impact whatsoever. My main problem with Seven is that it seems to think that it's exceedingly clever, when in fact it's rather dumb. A relatively well-written script by Andrew Kevin Walker cannot hide a paper-thin plot which gives the film one point to make, over and over again - that the world isn't a very nice place. Well, duh. I can still see Seven's influence on crime and horror films, but I really think similar material has been handled far better, and far less pretentiously in recent years (the first Saw for instance, I find far more engaging, entertaining and memorable). At least the film has a now iconic, and well-crafted finale - and I think Fincher owed us that after making us sit through a very long, quite boring piece of mock-intellectual schlock. Seven may look good, and Freeman and Spacey are great, but the rest of the cast, the lazy and plodding story, and film's misplaced feel of smugness in its own brilliance really let it down. And people who spell the film "Se7en" make me want to think up my own cruel and unusual punishments...… Expand
  9. spadenx
    Jan 1, 2012
    4
    It was ok. I was suprised by Pitt though, He was bad in the film. Some serious over acting by him and it ruins quite a few scenes (mainly the ending). Freeman was ok in it, Rather generic considering his other performances. Spacey was great though, Super creepy in his role and he played it perfectly. Overall though the entire plot was too straight forward and really had no imagination to it. Seriously overrated imo.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    70
    A decidedly medieval enterprise, darker in text and tone than a Gothic cathedral by the light of the moon.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    This homicide thriller has a tantalizingly morbid atmosphere of unease.
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  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    30
    Not even bags of body parts, a bitten-off tongue or a man forced to cut off a pound of his own flesh keep it from being dull. [22 September 1995, p. C18]
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