This weekend, the Loft Cinema will showcase neo-noir psychological thriller film “Seven”, directed by David Fincher, as part of Loft Cinema’s “Cult Classic” series which screens old school films every Friday and Saturday. “Se7en” follows two detectives as they work to solve a serious of murder cases believed to be perpetrated an insidious psychopath.
The film begins in an unnamed American city where a soon-to-be-retiring detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is partnered up with a rookie detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) who has just relocated to the city with his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow). The film wastes no time in jumping to the conflict of the story. After settling in with his wife, Mills and Somerset find themselves investigating a pair of murders. The first victim: an overweight male with a ruptured stomach. At the crime scene, the two detectives discover the word “Gluttony” written in blood. The second victim involves an attorney general whose corpse is discovered at his office with the word “Greed” written on the floor.
Unlike modern psychological crime films which seek to establish a complicated and deliberate investigation where the protagonists and the killer become intertwined in a series of events, “Seven”, does not take the traditional route. Instead it presents the audience with a series of complicated, mysterious subplots designed to connect to the main storyline.
At times, “Se7en” represents a foil to your basic Sherlock Holmes movies. In this case, the crimes appear gruesome but simple. As more crimes unfold, the clues involving a series of single words lead Somerset to the conclusion that these murders represent the seven deadly sins.
Little by little, our two main characters find themselves as pawns of a cat and mouse game. The murderer plays a Zodiac-type killer by antagonizing law enforcement. While the film fails to create a serious of challenging subplots or situations, it does manage to successfully draw in the attention of its audience by presenting an intriguing and twisted murder mystery.
The ending itself serves as one of the most twisted and disturbing conclusions ever seen on the big screen, and a cinematic experience that you won’t want to miss out on this weekend.
The Loft Cinema plays “Se7en” this Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.
Follow Ernesto Fierro on Twitter
