‘Se7en’: the David Fincher movie you need to watch before his Netflix return
“What’s in the box?” Well, before anyone starts panicking, the answer isn’t Gwyneth Paltrow’s head. It’s a reminder that David Fincher is back. That’s right, people; the filmmaker behind Se7en, Fight Club, Gone Girl and The Social Network is warming up for another Netflix project. Something you’d probably want to set an alarm for.
Fincher is coming back to Netflix with The Adventures of Cliff Booth, which brings Brad Pitt back to the character he played in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film is already generating plenty of buzz, mostly because it marks a rare theatrical release for a director who has spent the last several years making movies for Netflix.
But before Fincher returns with a new movie, you have the perfect excuse to revisit the film that cemented his reputation as one of Hollywood’s masters of suspense. And yes, we are talking about Se7en.
Released in 1995, this is still counted as one of the best thrillers of modern times. It follows detectives William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) as they hunt a serial killer whose crimes are inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins. That’s the simple version. The actual experience of watching Se7en is something else entirely.
You see, Fincher doesn’t present the investigation as a straightforward game of cat and mouse. Every crime scene is worse than the last, and every clue raises new questions. The city itself looks exhausted, as though it has given up. It’s always fun to watch when the city has a character to play.
But the thing that will entice you the most is the cast. Morgan Freeman is just his usual fabulous self, and here he gives the film its conscience. His Somerset has seen enough tragedy to last several lifetimes, and Freeman brings immense wisdom to every scene. Brad Pitt, meanwhile, is the injector of energy and impatience… Like any young detective would be. His Detective Mills wants answers, wants justice and wants results. Watching those two bounce off each other is what gives the movie its soul.
Of course, no conversation about Se7en ends without mentioning that final act. Even people who haven’t watched the movie can quote it: “What’s in the box?” That line has survived for three decades because the ending changes everything for the audience. You need a lot of confidence to achieve the ending Se7en has, and David Fincher landed it successfully.
Which brings us back to Fincher’s upcoming Netflix return. The Adventures of Cliff Booth may look nothing like Se7en. Different genre and story. But it reunites Fincher and Brad Pitt, one of the most successful director-actor pairings of the modern era.
If you are counting down the days until the new movie arrives, revisiting Se7en isn’t just recommended. Do it!