Blu-ray Review: Se7en (1995)

Se7en boasts quite possibly one of the greatest endings in film history. That’s quite a claim, admittedly, and of course is impossible to quantify, but it stacks up against any others you could care to mention. For the film’s first 90 minutes, it follows the conventions of the police procedural thriller: serial killer on the loose, numerous crime scenes where the killer seems to be playing games with the cops, even the combination of a hotheaded rookie detective and a weathered old pro on One Last Case™. It’s certainly a very well constructed, intelligently written, meticulously designed example of the genre, but beyond the spectacular grisliness of its crime scenes features little to distinguish it from the merely excellent. Then, though, the third act takes a dramatic left turn into something altogether more chilling, profound and indelible. The genius of writer Andrew Kevin Walker’s climax was spotted at an early stage by Brad Pitt; his proviso for coming on board was that the ending not be changed by studio executives, nervous about its bleakness. David Fincher saw it as the calling card that could reset his feature film career after his troubles with 20th Century Fox on Alien3. Sixteen years later, it amongst his best work.

The premise is novel, but more of a high concept than a framework for potential greatness: this serial killer is murdering his victims according to the seven deadly sins. The dynamic between our two detectives - the week-away-from-retirement Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and the new kid on the block, Mills (Pitt) - is fairly familiar but well-handled, and Pitt's potentially one-note firebrand is given added depth by the exploration of his married life (his wife is played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who does a lot with not very much screen time). The way the detectives' working relationship develops over the course of the week in which the events take place is convincingly handled without need for pseudo-Lethal Weapon wisecracks or anything of the sort; they simply convey a growing mutual respect as they become more deeply embroiled in their case.

Fincher adds a layer of almost mythic resonance with his setting. Is impossible to pinpoint where the unnamed city where it always rains, and yet is an hour's drive from fairly barren desert, actually is (it was shot in LA but any landmarks are avoided). The lack of geographical precision somehow makes the story seem more universal, lending it the quality of an urban legend. Of course it also gives the film an unbeatable atmosphere - a sort of modern noir with added grunge. The depth of cinematographer Darius Khondji's shadows is practically bottomless, but never does that translate into stultifying drabness; rather, it further enhances the oppressiveness of the detectives' grim discoveries, as well as the suspense in certain memorable moments (one word: sloth).

As Somerset delves into reading about the seven circles of Hell, Dante's Inferno, and the like, in an attempt to gain an insight into the killer's mind, Fincher's aesthetic choices seem to be suggesting they already are in some sort of twisted purgatory, the only possible exit from which is compassion and decency - traits that Somerset possesses, but Mills less so. It's from this that the stunning ending arises, which rejects an action finale in favour of an immeasurably more intense impossible moral conundrum. It's brutal, but also an exercise in restraint: very little is actually shown, but it once again proves that the viewer's imagination is far more powerful than anything that can be shown on screen.



Release Information
Country: UK / Region: Free / Version: N/A / Discs: 1 / Distributor: Warner Bros.

Presentation
For a film known for its seedy, grimy look (which Fincher says was inspired by Nine Inch Nails music videos), it's remarkable how crisp and clean this new HD master is. Given the subject matter, one hesitates to call it beautiful, but it really is, in its own depraved way. The subtleties in the texturing and colour palette of the sets and cinematography really shine through as they never have before.

The already healthy DTS 6.1 of the old DVD is expanded still further to full DTS-HD 7.1, and this is one beast of a track. The emphasis is on atmospherics, particularly the rain; it's a full-blooded, pull-no-punches, totally enveloping affair. Occasionally voices from the centre speaker can get a bit lost amidst all the competing noise from the surrounds, but in these instances it's probably a deliberate choice on Fincher's part.

Extras
Replicated from the stone age 2-disc DVD version, the bonus material on offer seems strangely lopsided. On the one hand, you get more commentaries than you can shake a rotting severed hand at: four for the feature, and more for the deleted scenes, production galleries, storyboards, the design of the main title sequence, the soundtrack, and so on. You almost expect to find that the commentaries have commentaries. They're worth wading through, though one's familiarity with the film may exceed healthy levels if you watch the four commentaries back to back. They're divided into categories grouped as "The Shoot", "The Writing", "The Look" and "The Sound", involving people from the relevant departments, with Fincher showing up in all of them. The first is an affable track with Freeman and Pitt alongside their director (Freeman seems recorded separately); the others are a bit drier, but packed with insight. Welcome scholarly insight is offered by Richard Dyer, who features in the tracks for both the writing and the look.

For those less commentary-inclined, there are relatively slim pickings. The deleted scenes are worth seeing, but barring an interesting alternate opening to the film, are mainly extensions of or variations on what remains in the final cut. The only typical behind the scenes doc is a 12-minute EPK featurette. There are detailed examinations of the killer's notebooks - works of art in themselves - and several galleries, as well as a (now outdated) featurette looking at the mastering of the original DVD, specifically how the image and sound were tweaked for the release.



Summary
A stunningly powerful climax elevates Se7en to true classic status. It's no surprise that it has proven influential in the years since; it's as compelling - and as horrifying - as thrillers get, and the Blu-ray shows off all its grim splendour.