Film Details:

Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room)

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (8MM, Sleepy Hollow)

Starring
Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Twelve Monkeys)
Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Glory)
A Surprise Cameo by Someone Very Cool (L.A. Confidential, American Beauty)

Review: by Melissa (e-mail your faithful reviewer)

I have a great and deep love for David Fincher films. Okay, so Alien 3 was pretty damn lousy, but even James Cameron had his Piranha II. Ya gotta start somewhere, right? Well, Fincher went straight from steaming (but pretty) pile of poo that was Alien 3 and to making one of the best detective/horror flicks of the 1990's, which makes him pretty damn cool in my book.

Se7en pretty much has everything that you could ever want from a lurid homicide drama, plus some. The script is sharp and intelligent, the characters are well-developed and well-used, and the cinematography is both gritty and gorgeous. Pitt and Morgan turn in some of the richest performances ever seen in a noir flick, and their interactions are a pleasure to watch. Fincher takes all of these golden blessings and assembles them into a film that uses them all to their fullest extent.

Se7en is an unblinking, horrifying, creepy masterpiece. The premise -- a serial killer begins slaughtering people in the theme of the Seven Deadly Sins -- could have easily been turned into a gore fest. Yet Fincher knows that suggestion is far more powerful than blood effects, and masterfully gives the audience just enough to make them think they saw more than they actually did. This is the sort of movie that lingers and haunts.

Indeed, this is the sort of movie that turns into a classic. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw this film popping up in film courses 25 years from now.

If you haven't seen this film, grab the DVD and treat yourself to a creepy evening. Thankfully, the DVD versions of the film are stellar.

DVD Details:

There are two versions of the film available on DVD in the US, a plain-vanilla version, and a very nice Special Edition.

Plain Version:

Widescreen format
5.1 Dolby Digital sound
French, English, and Spanish subtitles
French and English audio tracks

Special Edition:

Anamorphic widescreen format
6.1 Dolby Digital sound
Commentary track with Fincher, Pitt, and Freeman
Commentary track with Richard Dyer (film studies author), Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce (editor), Michael De Luca (producer), and Fincher
Commentary track with Ren Klyce (sound designer), Howard Shore (composer), Richard Dyer, and Fincher
Exploration of title sequence (with alternate visuals and sound)
Animated storyboards
Deleted scenes
Alternate endings
Production stills
Notebook gallery

The Special Edition DVD of Se7en is as good as it gets. The film was remastered from the original negative, and the digital print is more or less perfect. The smorgasbord of extras is first-rate and nothing short of fascinating. The notebook gallery and the title sequence toy are really cool inclusions that I particularly enjoyed. This Special Edition is one of my most treasured DVD possessions. Worth every penny.

Further Information:

Internet Movie Database

Official Site

In Brief

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