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Seven (Se7en)
New Line Cinema

8.0 based on 22 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 40 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

FILM:

• Fight Club
• Panic Room
• The Game
• Zodiac

• Internet Movie Database
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• Official Studio Site

MPAA RATING: R for grisly afterviews of horrific and bizarre killings, and for strong language

Starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Two New York City detectives (Pitt, Freeman) find themselves on the trail of a vicious serial killer that chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. (New Line Cinema)

GENRE(S):	Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Andrew Kevin Walker
DIRECTED BY:	David Fincher
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 19, 2000  Video: June 5, 2001  Theatrical: September 22, 1995
RUNNING TIME:	123 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90

Variety Staff(not credited)

This weirdly off-kilter suspenser goes well beyond the usual police procedural or killer-on-a-rampage yarn due to a fine script, striking craftsmanship and a masterful performance by Morgan Freeman.

88

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

It's intriguing, appalling, savvy, nasty, grossly unsettling -- you may not like what you see, but you'll definitely be affected by the sight.

88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A dark, grisly, horrifying and intelligent thriller.

80

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

One can already tell that this film is on to something special during the opening credits.

80

Film.com Andy Spletzer

An imaginative and disturbing work; well worth a look.

78

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

A very nasty piece of work, indeed.

75

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

Placing style above coherence, Seven glosses over plot points and shows a weakness for cheap, lurid effects.

75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

While Seven lacks the cleverness of the superior "Usual Suspects," it's strong enough to hold its own against most other thrillers.

75

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

This homicide thriller has a tantalizingly morbid atmosphere of unease.

70

Washington Post Rita Kempley

A decidedly medieval enterprise, darker in text and tone than a Gothic cathedral by the light of the moon.

70

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

It's not the identity of the killer that gives Seven its kick -- it's the way Fincher raises mystery to the level of moral provocation.

70

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Noticeable skill has gone into the making of Seven, but it's hard to take much pleasure in that.

70

Washington Post Desson Thomson

A gruesome detective-thriller about a serial killer who ices egregious offenders of the seven deadly sins, portends an unpalatable combination of formulaic writing and unmitigated nastiness.

70

TV Guide Staff(not credited)

An accomplished thriller that's nasty, brutish and relatively short.

63

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

It's a misfire--but a fascinating, magnetic misfire, a film full of first-rate talents forced into absurdity, struggling to bring believability to nonsense. [22 September 1995, Friday, p. C]

63

USA Today Mike Clark

Director David Fincher shovels on more gloom than even the serial killer genre can sustain in the murkily moody, but self-defeating, Seven.

60

Film.com Sean Means

Watching Seven is like cracking open a safe, only to find it crawling with eels

60

Time Richard Schickel

It is very tiresome peering through the gloom trying to catch a glimpse of something interesting, then having to avert one's eyes when it turns out to be just another brutally tormented body.

50

Newsweek David Ansen

A style so chic, studied and murky it resembles a cross between a Nike commercial and a bad Polish art film.

50

San Francisco Examiner Barbara Shulgasser

While the premise is intriguing, the movie is gluey, bumbling and singularly un-thrilling.

40

Film.com John Hartl

This could be the year's most pretentious Hollywood film.

30

The New York Times Elvis Mitchell

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]

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Drenda L. gave it a10:
How this movie is only a 65 is beyond me. One of the greatest films of all time. Seriously.

Tom L. gave it a10:
Fincher at his best, he crafts Se7en into a relentlessly damning thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat to the very end. But the fact that he manages to do this without having to show much graphic violence is what separates this film from others in the genre. Even if you think this movie is too dark, it still manages to shake you to your core. And there's no denying that.

Igor V. gave it a10:
The Best what I seen before.

Charlie S. gave it a0:
Lousy and vile.

Kent C. gave it a3:
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.

Jared C. gave it a2:
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.

Blake J. gave it a9:
One of the scariest movies I have ever seen. Kevin Spacey encompasses everything someone from America's Most Wanted should encompass. Brad Pitt is surprisingly good at playing a man who trys to keep his emotions in check. Morgan Freeman stands as the foundation of the film, and all of the actors feed off of the obviously stellar direction of David Fincher, whose camera work is showcased magnificently in this film.

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