Se7en

Never thought a cop movie would turn out to be the most mentally accessible examination of the way the human mind is predisposed to reaction as it pertains wrongdoing (sin), as against empathy, correction, or even constructive punishment. Yeah, John Doe picked extreme cases for his "sermon", and chose to engineer an equally — if not more — extreme magnum opus for his finishing act; still, the thesis is the same: "When faced with a mirror to your sin, you involuntarily react to protect your sin before that choice is taken away from you; and when you're the victim of a committed sin, your reaction is almost never empathetic, justice-seeking, or corrective" The movie presents a second dynamic which people rarely talk about: "What type of law enforcer does it take to enthusiastically enforce the law in a city riddled with apathy" Or even more correctly, "What does the day-to-day life of a tenacious pursuer of evil look like?" Turns out, it's the life of the everyday man who simply makes the choice every day. Even when he acts like a dog with a bone like David Mills (Brad Pitt's character). It was interesting to see how kinship united by the cause of finding the killer rekindled this enthusiasm and tenaciousness — ever so gradually — in the bones of the old boy who had all but surrendered to civic apathy. Morgan Freeman's character, Somerset, being in it for the simple sake of satisfying curiosity does not realize when he'd become genuinely entrenched in the pursuit. Creeps up on him; also thanks to the warmth he observes guiding Mills, via his ability to keep a loving home despite his impulsive predilections. Curiosity then becomes a hunt for justice to cater to the hope he admired in this (more or less) new protege. Perhaps, "tomorrow" for the police force was not as dim. A rekindling. Perhaps. You could see his raw shock when the pursuit came to the very point where his protege's hope could either be cemented or dashed entirely (reinforcing his earlier stand before first encounter with the protege). The fate of the rekindling of his own hope kidnapped so forcefully by the machinations of the object of the rekindling journey itself. By the culprit to be brought to, hopefully, actual justice. The choice to seal the fate positively, to his desired ends, taken absolutely away from his hands. Helpless. And so he begged, "put the gun down, Mills". Reaction won. Apathy wouldn't go away. "What's in the box?": the question that would reset it all. The entire journey, lost in that moment. The last verse in the divine sermon of John Doe, true prophet. This movie impacted me in very unexpected ways. The dialogue was so simple yet so effective. The choice to not name the city but draw inspiration from 50s to 70s New York (or Gotham City, if you would), made the story of the city ubiquitous and non-politically-distracting. The reverence to works of literature, and libraries in general for that matter, was appreciated. Mills really got a "For Dummies" version of the books Somerset recommended for him, didn't he? LMAO This is a well-written story I believe was meant to challenge our thinking as it regards crime and punishment. To give pause when meting out judgement, in whatever court: personal, public opinion, or law. It's a story that challenges you to think about the concept of second chances. Who deserves them. How should they be doled out? This is competing with Fight Club as my favourite David Fincher project. Andrew Kevin Walker, take a bow! 5/5 Movies I’ve Reviewed - Ranked