Se7en (1995)

Se7en (1995), directed by David Fincher.

I have problems with this sort of film, perhaps because I don't know how to classify it. It is a serial killer fantasy set in what looks like the real world. Real in that it is not about demonic possession or super-powers.

Fantasy in that this really doesn't happen: philosopher detective confronts super-genius psycho who perpetrates an impossibly complicated configuration of outrages.

For all its edginess it employs standard police story clichés: burned out detective in his last week is saddled with brash young hotshot.

It is one of Morgan Freeman's better roles. Points for giving him a switchblade, and that old-style hat and raincoat.

The City is entirely evil here, with no redeeming features, apart from its large library. Where you can look up evil things.

I'm not getting much meaning from this exercise, apart from Freeman's cool reason besting Pitt's emotion. Thoughts on celebrity, degeneracy of modern life, the deadly sins: not so much.

Notes:

• Shouldn't the SWAT team be wearing helmets?

• 2000 notebooks at 250 pages each is half a million pages.

• Is Pitt using some sort of bent-wrist hold on his weapon at the end? It looks like an illustration from the Crackhead Handbook.

Howard Shore score, nicely integrated into the sound design.

Available on Blu-ray.