Se7en
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
September 22, 1995 · Directed by David Fincher
What's been said
Viewers and critics have broadly embraced Se7en as a landmark 1990s thriller, landing an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.6 on IMDb, and a spot on Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' list, with the Rotten Tomatoes consensus calling it 'a brutal, relentlessly grimy shocker with taut performances, slick gore effects, and a haunting finale.' The most consistently praised elements are Fincher's oppressive visual atmosphere, the chemistry between Freeman and Pitt, and a third act widely described as one of the most shocking and memorable endings in cinema history. The most common complaint, raised even at release by critics including Siskel and Berardinelli, is that the graphic content tips into excess, while some contemporary reviewers find the mismatched-cop setup familiar and Pitt's performance less restrained than the film's tone demands. A notable detail: studio executives pushed hard for a different, more upbeat ending, but the filmmaking team held firm, and that uncompromised dark conclusion is now the single element most cited as defining the film's lasting cultural impact.
Will you actually like it?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll predict how much you'll like this movie, not whether critics did. Each one targets something this film specifically leans into, where viewers tend to split. We think these are the questions that will best help predict how well it will align with you.
Where to watch
Trailer
