New Line Cinema released Seven (or the unfortunately stylized Se7en) internationally on 22 September 1995. It premiered a week earlier in New York City.
New Line was skeptical of it based on test audiences. But it came out of the gate at the top of the pack its first weekend — at least partly because it was up against Showgirls and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. But it stayed at the top for four weeks, besting some strong competition like Devil in a Blue Dress and Assassins.
I really like Seven. I’m kind of surprised that it was so popular. Those underwhelmed test audiences were probably right. This film isn’t even a mystery but, like a mystery, it works largely as a puzzle. Of course, the Envy piece doesn’t work. It is tossed off with a line of dialogue. And ultimately the ending makes no sense. But it seems like it does!
Why do I like it? Probably the life in Hell feel of the whole thing. I’m not a huge David Fincher fan. But he has a great eye. I’m a big defender of Alien 3. It’s masterful and a wonderful film.
And Kevin Spacey is perfectly cast as the smug little psychopath. Morgan Freeman played the kind of role we white people just love to see him in since he busted out of The Electric Company. And Brad Pitt is, well, a very believable cop.
While I still think most people like it because of the clean ending, Seven is a film for all psychotronic fans to cherish. It is a very compelling film.
Seven image taken from Wikipedia under Fair Use.
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I agree; Fincher has a good eye. He doesn’t have much of a brain, but that’s not uncommon. It did bug me when the muder scenes in Zodiac were filmed with love & care, and the investigation scenes haphazardly. That’s alright in a splatter movie but not a true story.
When Fincher has a good script, he can make a good movie. Mank, The Social Network. You’d have to pay me to watch Fight Club.
Don’t want to fill up the comments with my dumb thoughts, but I loved the masked wrestler post!
And, as I mentioned, Alien 3. People hate that film but it really is excellent! I remember thinking Fight Club was good. But there is one scene that still haunts me. And the way many young men have reacted to the film is really troubling. I watched Zodiac some time ago and I thought it was fine. But it didn’t stay with me. It is probably my fault given I’ve been obsessed with the subject since I was a kid. I haven’t seen Mank. I’ve been planning to but never gotten around to it.
Mank is good! I might write about it soon. I mean, fuck Netflix with a rusty chainsaw, but every movie studio has always been evil.