Film Analysis of Seven
Uploaded by sls465 on Apr 18, 2007
Film Analysis of "Seven"
A dark masterpiece of modern horror, which involves a veteran cop, Detective William Somerset who is about to retire, and Detective David Mills, who breaks in his replacement. They both become involved in a grisly, serial killer investigation. This twisted serial killer chooses his victims from people who exemplify one of each of the seven deadly sins, as he sees himself as being the flaming sword of God, dispensing judgment on these sinners.
As the movie opens, we meet Somerset, a meticulous veteran cop who lives a lonely bachelors life in what looks like a well decorated apartment. Then he meets Mills, an impulsive young cop who actually asked to be transferred into Somerset’s district. The two men investigate a particularly gruesome murder, in which gluttony makes an appearance in the film in the form of an obese man being force fed to death.
Within the chosen sequence, genre conventions such as camera movement, editing and lighting are all insights for the viewer to seek out the films genre. Camera angles for example, are very personal within this film and give away a lot about Somerset and Mills’ life. The two are very contrasting and there is a lot to learn from each character and what they offer to the plot of the story. From the start we find that Somerset offers a challenging depth and dimension for a character in this genre. Somerset is much more interested in the art of crime solving. However, Somerset is burnt out after 34 years on the force. He feels he is not making a difference anymore and therein lays the conflict of the story. Somerset is a man who had it and he’s giving up. He’s seen too much. Mills is a cop who has transferred into the department and is full of optimism about the difference he can make as an individual. The two look at the same situation with dramatically opposing points of view.
The film is set against the background of a bleak, gloomy, and nameless city, where the rain does not stop. The lighting is very low key and this is very common in films of this genre. The photography is muted, grey and dimly lit. The rain only adds to that creeping feeling in your mind, and it allows a passageway for the viewer into a dystopia that may be...