“Se7en” — Read Along
“DETECTIVE…….You’re looking for me”.
As you dance your merry way through our collective electrical Matrix and onto the next article you probably won’t read either, please be assured I wish you a peaceful onward transition through our collective maze of unanswered questions and with the pleasing feeling of self-imposed discombobulation as Se7en is now over a quarter of a century old and, if you wanted to feel any older, then please consider David Fincher’s first bona fide masterpiece will be celebrating its 30 year anniversary next year. I don’t recall seeing this at the cinema but bought the first available VHS copy (and subsequent first release on DVD) and first watched the film with the first love of my life in the first house of which I’d truly call “home”, retreating there from an office job I resented almost as much as The Narrator in Fight Club, and to the weekends of playing cricket at perhaps the apex of my amateur playing best.
My goodness. The summer’s of 1995 and 1996 were golden ones for your humble narrator and here was Se7en being released in the same year as O J Simpson being acquitted on charges of murder, the Oklahoma City bombing and the birth of singer/songwriter Dua Lipa. Nearly three decades on I’m smiling at the memories of two sunshine filled summers from long ago, and I have no idea who Dua Lipa is!
Se7en has been a constant companion I’ve returned to and re-watched many times over this now near three decade span of life, espousing its greatness to any and everyone within earshot whenever the subject of truly great contemporary films rears its beautiful head. There’s a short dialogue scene between “Tracy” (Gwyneth Paltrow) and “Somerset” (Morgan Freeman) whereby Tracy asks playfully but sincerely why Somerset isn’t married and with a wry smile Somerset replies he was close once but
“anyone who spends a significant amount of time with me finds me disagreeable”
and I’ll carry this short piece of dialogue around with me for the rest of time.
All this and more cannot be found in my original spoiler free review of the film linked below or indeed my Youtube and Rumble channel readings of my review whereby, as is the premise of this silly new series of mine entitled “Read Along”, you can, if you so wish, now read along to my review as I narrate it via a late night video I shot in the late autumn of last year. Just me, reading my own writing to camera in a polished if “dry” and slow way. I’m not sure if it works as a concept but the videos are there for as long as the Matrix is still switched on.
Here’s a snippet from my review I originally penned and published over a decade ago, a link to both the review and an opus blog article on the combined first films of David Fincher, together with my Youtube/Rumble channel readings of the review:
Tired, weary and soon to retire “Detective Somerset” (Morgan Freeman in yet another stellar performance) and “Detective Mills” (Brad Pitt at near perfection best) fresh faced and anxious to please, are thrown together as it quickly becomes evident that a serial killer is on the loose and literally following the seven deadly sins as a means of inspiration for his killings. Brilliantly written by Andrew Kevin Walker, the film is accompanied by a twisting yet often subtle musical score from Howard Shore and as described briefly below is continually bathed in perpetual rain and a feeling of damp and dark pervades which is brilliantly lit by Director of Cinematography Darius Khonddji. These are all triumphs of the film for me, as are the constant “inserts” such as varying pieces of eclectic music from “Suite Number 3 in D Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach (as Somerset peruses a local library) through to “Trouble Man” by Marvin Gaye.
Despite following a day to day narrative (the day’s of the week are displayed on screen as we go), the film never settles and never pursues one single narrative strand. Yet with Fincher’s brilliance (can you believe he reluctantly helmed the film?), he brings the very best out of his two central performers.
"David Fincher - 22 Years in Film"
Thanks for reading. Three more from my “Read Along” series for your delectation:
"The Killing of a Sacred Deer" - Read Along