That fraction-of-a-second flash of his wife's face before Mills kills John Doe was brilliant. You could see that Mills was sick with shock and grief but trying not to give Doe what he wanted. Then his mind couldn't help it...and thought of her and what he lost, and he instantly killed Doe. I think that split- second shot of Tracy's face meant everything to the scene.
David Fincher did this with Gone Girl too. It takes great production, great sounds, great actors, great picture, great sensitivity and a genius touch. Fincher knows all about it.
@user-dc7mf8pc1m 👍🏼 It's fast enough to count as a subliminal image, I think. You may think that you didn't notice it, but I'd bet that your subconscious did.
Carolina should watch Nightcrawler if she hasn't seen it. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath who becomes a paparazzi. It's disturbing as hell but very well-written, and he's pretty great in it. Absolutely terrifying. Btw, Fincher also did Fight Club.
Gyllenhaal’s best performance along with prisoners imo, an absolute masterclass. Him not getting an Oscar Nom was insanity when that was easily one of if not the best performance of the year, should’ve won the best actor Oscar over redmayne who was great but not as good and Gyllenhaal
And alien 3. But studios messed and noted the crap out of it and he started so far behind. They screwed him so bad so early in his career, they gave him a free pass make a movie your way complete freedom. This is what he did
Fun fact: Denzel Washington turned down the role of Mills, which went to Brad Pitt. He has since deeply regretted it. Also, the studio wanted a different ending. Pitt & Freeman said “hell no,” and both threatened to walk if the studio changed it. 1995 was a huge year for crime thrillers. This stood out.
@@cinemaspace2890 I have to agree. From the characters I remember, even with the wild ones (like in Training Day), he always has some degree of discipline or self-control. Mills needed to be without that.
"Wins" feels like an understatement. Lol. Doe annihilated everyone. It's hard to tell who got it worse...the people he killed, or the people who witnessed the aftermath.
When John Doe comes to the station and yells Detective!!!. If you are watching it for first time, the moment Kevin Spacey comes your anxiety levels go through roof.
This is one case you’re wrong about the ending. The ending was not decided by the producers to make money. They actually wanted a different good ending but brad Pitt fought for the ending we see now in the final product that has made it a classic.
@@Harkness78 Yes, everyone involved insisted that they keep that ending. Fincher said that any time he mentioned the script around Hollywood people were like: "Oh, yeah... the 'head in the box' movie!" He also said they had to fight mightily to get Spacey in the film. He was a bit too expensive for their budget and I think Pitt may have dropped his price so they could hire Kevin.
Fun fact: For the Sloth scene, special effects head Rob Bottin made a bunch of photos showcasing the decay of the victim over a year and there were dozens of pictures he gave to director, David Fincher. He apparently was like "I really only needed two pictures, the before and after". Also during the chase scene, Brad Pitt broke his hand when he fell on the roof and finished the scene before yelling in pain
I didn't know that! Very cool. I also heard that the actors during the sloth scene were told that it was either a dummy or an actor on the bed (can't remember which), but the director didn't tell them that the actor on the bed was going to spring to life! So those were their real reactions!
Brad Pitt had to have surgery.He cut his arm/wrist area severely.Strange thing, there was footage of this that was showed by gossip shows like Inside Edition.
Also, a cool little behind-the-scenes anecdote of this film is the fact that Spacey was so method in his role that for the part where Morgan Freeman's character opens the box, it was supposed to be empty but Spacey had secretly cut Gwyneth Paltrow's head off in real life to put in the box instead, so the reaction you see in the film from Freeman is genuine shock.
All props to David Fincher... he's been in my Top 5 favorite directors since I saw this film, but also have to give credit to Andrew Kevin Walker for this horrifyingly creepy script. Whenever I see them collaborate, I'm there for it.
I remember seeing this in the cinema when it came out. I knew absolutely nothing about it and I walked out of there feeling like I had just been hit in the head with a bat. When the 'Sloth' guy came back to life it is the closest I have ever been to pissing myself in fright. This is an all-time classic and one of the best movies of the 90s.
The real MVPs of this film are the art team and production design. They don't get enough credit for making this movie so engrossing and dark next to the great performances.
Fun Fact: The prop head of Gwyneth Paltrow that was originally in the box is the same prop head that was used during her character's death scene in Contagion
The scene at the end, when David Mills (Brad Pitt's character) becomes "wrath," has for me -- and I assume many others -- always raised a very interesting two-part question: (a) Is there even one prosecutor in the country who would even charge Mills with manslaughter? (b) If so, is there even one jury that would actually convict him? If I were one of the jurors, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't vote to acquit him. I suspect I'm *far* from alone in that regard.
There was a case in the 80s where a Kung-Fu instructor who had kidnapped and rap'ed a young boy, he was being led thru the airport by police after being captured, and the Father ran up and shot him dead. And the Father was acquitted by the Jury on all charges. So it can/should happen sometimes.
There's no way I would see a jury convicting him. A decent defense lawyer would simply put the jurors in the position of having them imagine them finding out there partner was not only murdered, which not only do you have to deal with the shock of finding out someone you loved was killed. You don't even have a second to process that, then you find out oh yeah you see that box over there? Your partners head is in that box. Now not only do you have to process the fact that your partner was murdered but now have to imagine there damn head cut off and placed in a damn ups box. Oh wait there's more did your brain process the first two bit of news that was told to you in less than a minute ago? It gets even better, you know the man that murdered your wife? He got to go into detail in how she begged him not to do it and here's the kicker, congrats you would of been a dad too but meh I ignored all that when she told me and still killed them both anyways. Damn you didn't know you were going to be a dad? Oops my bad for telling you before she ever had a chance to tell you but congrats anyways. Now just imagine being told all that info all in about a minute while holding a gun and the killer is right in front of you? 9 out of 10 would of pulled the trigger and no person would be in there right mind getting all that damaging information all at once. Mills would of needed mandatory counseling and that's it but no juror member unless they had zero heart would convict a man after all the s**t that Mills found out all at once.
Fincher is just one of those directors who sees things differently! Spacey had a great year. This and The Usual Suspects, same year! So ur gonna have to do, The Usual Suspects, next!
I didn't know they were made in the same year! That's awesome. How lucky to find two fantastic scripts within a short time frame, AND get a role in both of them!
You wanna go on a 1990s Spacey rampage (back when the guy was still revered), make sure to watch L.A. Confidential also. Freakin brilliant movie as well, with a truly brilliant performance. A bunch of truly awesome actors are/were famously crap people in real life. Very sad, not sure if that's part of what made them so good, or just some unrelated duality in their persona... *shrug*
One of the rare movies that is always still disturbing every time you see it. Another movie I always thought was underrated but is a well made crime thriller like this is "The Bone Collector" with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and a good supporting cast as well. Would be a great reaction movie if you haven't seen it.
The sad thing is that if Mills Had chosen NOT to shot John, John's "masterpiece" would not be complete. He would go to Jail KNOWING that his work will NEVER be completed. And I GUARANTEE you that this would have hurt him more than anything in the world.
I can't agree more, but this end it's also dangerous, 'cause John finally sent his message with a strange authority, I mean setting the example by giving up his own life : "I'm a sinner, I must die too" . How insane is that?
Fun Fact: It doesn't occur to most people that John Doe only killed one person throughout the film. Gluttony - Man eats himself to death. Greed - Rich attorney forced to cut off a pound of flesh. Sloth - Emaciated man tied to a bed. Lust - Prostitute killed by a man using a bladed S&M device. Pride - Model kills herself rather than live with disfigured face. Envy - John Doe is Envy, having stalked and killed Mills' wife because he couldn't have their "normal" life. Wrath - Mills becomes Wrath by killing John Doe
Nah, to me that's just flat-out incorrect. I see where you're coming from, but holding a gun to somebody's head and threatening them with murder as a means to force them to eat themselves to death, or cut off a pound of their flesh, or wear a bladed strapon, as well as strapping a man to a bed for a year, none of those are any better than shooting them in the head then and there and the fact that he didn't directly murder them on the spot would not hold up in court in the slightest. It's very much like a Jigsaw/John Kramer situation. Where the killer "didn't kill anybody themselves," rather the trap (or in this case, the action) is what killed them. But the deaths could not and would not have happened without John Doe, or without John Kramer. The blood is still on their hands, and every victim in this movie, I sincerely believe, would be credited as murder/manslaughter aside from Wrath. Even Pride would still be treated as an act of manslaughter IMO because the model would not have committed suicide if John Doe had never disfigured her face. Cause and effect, it's still his doing no matter how you look at it.
Freeman's character doesnt want to retire with a case thats going to have him puzzling over it long after he's retired. Thats why he doesn't want to work the case, detectives can fixate pretty hard
This movie is something. Despite having lesser screen time, kevin spacey steals all the light from the leads. The movie takes a different turn once his character is introduced. This movie is one of my all time best movies
Nothing gives me more joy that good movies and good music. I realized that recently. I admire a lot the people that can put together something as complex and clever as this movie
I don't think many people mention it, but the acting by Leland Orser, the Lust guy, was one of the best performances in the film. Shows regret and fear simultaneously.
Since Se7en, I think he was stamped as a talented "freak out" supporting actor which could explain why he was chosen to play in Alien: Resurrection two years later. In his famous "What's inside me?" scene, he made a similar performance, showing fear and confusion at the same time.
That Green Banker's Desk Lamp was a retro-fashion statement hearkening back to the 1920s (pre-Great Depression), and a trend started in TV and film since the '70s during Hollywood's big nostalgia period when it became ultra-used as a prop, thereby perpetuating it as fashionable to this day.
Such a classic. Such good storytelling. -great observation how his wife was the only sunshine in the whole film 👏🏾. So powerful to take that away at the end! And the showed us how brazen Brad Pitt’s character is the entire film, so you would believe he would shoot him recklessly at the end. Wow
Some quick foreshadowing with the "Delivery Van"- the company's logo is a "box with wings." "Wings" in delivery services usually represent Mercury's wings however they are drawn as "Angel wings." The box is the same perfectly square box as the box with Tracy's head. The symbolism being Tracy has already gone to Heaven.
The desk lamp being in 1990s movies - that type of desk lamp is actually way old, dating back to like, the 1930s or '20s at least. It adds to the both timeless and anachronistic tone of this movie, where it could almost have been shot today in a lot of ways, but also feels like a relic out of the past, particularly with its noir look and feel. Somerset and Mills wearing trenchcoats and hats, for example - men wearing hats in particular is something that went out of style in the 1960s - with JFK actually, I've heard said. Also, typewriters, and fluorescent green computer screens, and boxy-looking cars. Even for the time it was made it had this divergent style that made it difficult to pin down exactly when in time it belongs. Very very unique, and interesting. Absolutely adds to the appeal of the movie.
Hearing you talking about Brad Pitt at the beginning amused me. You both said that he doesn't really do anything for you until you saw him on screen. The man is almost 60 years old now so you didn't get the full experience women had 30 years ago of just how attractive of a man he is.
My mom always had the hots for Brad Pitt since Thelma & Louise and I was like: "Okay, he's handsome, calm down." Then he takes off his shirt in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". And I had to yield "Yeah, okay, that is really sexy.". Too bad she died before seeing it, though.
"Why did every single office in the 90s have that green lamp?" Bankers lamps are synonymous with office work (originally meant for bank halls, hence the name) because green is said to be a soothing colour that helps with concentration, making it a popular desk lamp. Office culture of the 80s and 90s was its own unique aesthetic and these lamps were ordered in mass number and found practically everywhere because of their color and design, hence why they also show up in so many movies of the time.
Seven and 12 Monkeys came out about a month apart. I developed a respect for Brad Pitt as an actor across that month that I haven't ever had cause to reverse.
We must remember, that, Morgan Freeman is one of the most praised actors in the world. I grew up watching him in the mid to late 70s, on PBS, as EASY READER, on ELECTRIC COMPANY!!!
This was a masterpiece of story telling and film making, very well made, and well acted, with a gut-punch of an ending. One of Pitt's finest performances. The look on your faces was priceless, and worth every second of waiting to see your responses to that ending. I love this movie, for it's genre it's one of the best I've ever seen, keeps you riveted thru-out, and in no ways does it disappoint or let up, or let you down, a 10 if their ever was one.
One of the only films I can think of the bad guy wins in the end and there is ZERO happy ending. This is a crime/thriller masterpiece that will never be usurped of its crown. Andrew Kevin Walker has never even come close to writing anything as provocative as this. I am hoping that 'The Killer', reuniting Fincher and Walker will do it!!
When you think about it, killing John Doe at the end could be a reduced sentence for Mills since that can be considered voluntary manslaughter under temporary insanity. At the worst it can be second degree murder; but in both cases, temporary insanity can be asserted as an affirmative defense. But that's just my lawyer hat talking.
Due to the circumstances of the murder, would the prosecutor even be willing to try David? Would a jury even convict him? Wouldn't the whole system try to protect him, or give him the least amount of punishment possible? Just asking your opinion as an attorney.
@21stcenturyhiphop in my POV, the prosecutor would've done his duty by pursuing an indictment, but you're right-the jury would find it hard to convict him once they put themselves in David's shoes. They'd probably give him time served and release him. But as an attorney, you would have a much better take than I do, honestly.
13:12 That's actually John Doe in disguise The Sloth victim still unsettles me to this day. Imagine strapped in a bed for a year, tortured, and he even tried committing suicide by chewing off his tongue but to no avail. The bladed strap-on was another freaky one. Just seeing how traumatized the guy in the interrogation room was enough for the mind to piece what happened.
Fun facts time...Denzel Washington was offered this film and turned it down because he thought it was too dark.He later did a serial killer film called Fallen.There was an alternative ending that wasnt filmed which showed Somerset shooting John Doe and thus,he dosent complete his mission.There was a sequel in development and sequel envolved Somerset and the producers were going to adapt the fim script Suspect Zero into the sequel.
Another David Fincher movie that has Brad Pitt in it is "Fight Club". You'll like it. It is totally messed up too. :D Not as much as this one though, but.... close. LOL
The yelling fire thing makes sense. Yelling for help requires people to risk potentially endangering themselves for an unidentified purpose. But fire is a communal threat people immediately understand. (Otoh, I’d imagine if people run to look for a fire a victim might lose more time trying to communicate because people who come would be expecting a different threat? 🤷🏻♂️)
The dark green lamp shade keeps the light coming off it focus on the desk rather than lighting up the room. It's much easier on the eyes when you spend hours on end doing paper work having a regular lamp or on ceiling lights would give you a headache after a few hours. Plus they also look pretty cool.
The fingerprint tech is Morgan Freeman’s son. The director didn’t tell the cop who leaned over the sloth victim that he was still going to be a alive so when he gasped that was the actors genuine reaction.
Their cop wife discussion was probly the healthiest "i cnt date that person" convo ive heard online in weeks. Def shows maturity knowing your not built for something and not wanting to bring down or stress out sumbody
Lol if you thought was intense, imagine watching on a big screen in a theatre…I remember when the lights came up, most folks were still in their seats…just trying to absorb what they had seen.
At 0:30 Cinepal says, "we're watching a Brad Pitt today". SEVEN is not a Brad Pitt movie. He didn't write the 127-page screenplay, and he didn't convert those 127 pages into images (director David Fincher did). The words Pitt says in the movie are not his words. Those are lines of the screenplay written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Are the Cinepals stupid? 🤔
Dude chill Some people call the film by the name of the actor, some by the name of the director And even some people would call a movie by the name of the main character (The Protagonist) Like my friends call the pirates of the caribbean jack sparrow's 🤣
Those green lamps weren't really a 90's thing. It's known as a Banker's Lamp and have been around since the early 1900's. They were popular in banks, libraries, law offices, etc. They have had swings in popularity but have never gone out of style really.
Fun fact; I work regularly with fingerprints using literally the most advanced fingerprint recognition system ever made. Three days to get a match is an absolute result, especially in a city
Great reacrion!! If you haven’t already… you need to see/react to “Fight Club” (David Fincher & Brad Pitt again)… plus “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” (more great Kevin Spacey roles).
I love the look of the green banker's lamp. Its classy, makes an office look professional. I think it was the iconic design that kept it around so long.
You know the writers, director, and actors have done their job when they can cultivate an emotional reaction from the audience about one of the victims.
24:00. Well, perhaps they are in the same mindset, now, and think the same way, and then would be encouraged, or comforted by the constant barrage. Remember, they are your age, not the ancient people you are viewing from the long long ago.
Nobody ever stays for the end-credits to roll for S7even 😢 David Bowie's 'Heart's Filthy Lesson' hits like a cold shower right after a hot one. Leaves you with an existential crisis like none other. First time I saw this movie, the end credits just pushed me further into depression......fuxxk I was a mess 😂
I watched until the end of the credits when I saw it in a theater in 1995. Every other time I've shut it off when the guys in the helicopter start freaking out over Doe being killed. The epilogue is garbage. (I've seen it again in reaction videos.)
Thinking of the story in the traditional "villain is the mirror reflection of the hero(s)" you can understand how the three characters are opposites but also the same (think of apathy vs. action in the horrible city in this movie), control vs. impulsiveness, etc. The moral argument is summed up in the car ride, especially between Somerset and Doe.
Good observation about John Doe thinking "what he's doing is right:" When it comes to good screenwritng/storytelling, the villain and the hero are aligned in their goal. Mills and Sommerset want to clean the streets up and take out the "bad guys" and John Doe wants the same thing. They just go about it in different ways (to put it mildly.)
Those green lamps go all the way back to the 30's. I think the reason you see them in the 90's is in government offices they don't replace things until they break or are too expensive to continue using.
This movie is David Fincher and crew's finest work. Fight Club and The Game are coming close but all behind for me. You girls should check out The Game if haven't
If a women can choose to be mother or not ..a man has to have the right to choose to be father too.. trapping a man in fatherhood to suck his resources out have been the most major weapon women use in recent times
Pitt was asked in an interview what people typically say or yell out to him, "What's in the box!?" Gwyneth wore a box on her head with "FRAGILE" on it for Halloween.
I remember I watched this movie at 3 in the morning. I don't know why I was so god damn scared even though it is not a horror movie but the story really scared me!!!
- Pitt and Paltrow were dating during filming. - Pitt really injured himself when he fell onto the taxi window, and worked into the movie; broke his hand and severed tendons. - Spacey wasn't credited in the opening credits, and didn't promote the film. - Stallone and Denzel Washington were originally offered the part that went to Pitt. - All of John Doe's books were real books, written for the film. They took two months to complete, and cost $15,000. - Val Kilmer turned down the role of John Doe. - Guillermo del Toro turned down the chance to direct; theme was too dark.
I don’t see how any man could have behaved differently than Mills did. If I were standing in front of the man that killed my family, I know what would happen. God forbid. This is a film that demands to be discussed after watching.
Yeah she made zero sense when she said that lol who the hell would be calm after finding out your wife and unborn child was murdered while her head is in a box about yards away from you lol that was kind of a dumb thing to say. It's like telling her yeah you loss someone you love but control yourself lol he didn't lose his wife due to natural causes, she was MURDERED with her head cut off. Mills acted like any other man would of acted if they were put in that same situation
I feel like the film establishes that the world is pretty awful, and then shows different reactions to it. Somerset wants to walk away from people, and not be involved, he is sort of "giving up" in a way. Mills doesn't think that the world is all that bad initially and dismisses Doe as a "nutbag". And Doe himself has a similar opinion of the world as Somerset however his solution is to punish people for it
A wonderful David Fincher movie. Fun fact: The detective that Brad Pitt plays (Detective Mills), that part was originally for Denzel Washington. Once I found that out I've always wondered how the movie would have been had Denzel been available.
I know Kevin Spacey has his haters, but please remember as of today the accusations against him has resulted in one trial in which he was found not not guilty. I'm not saying to throw him a parade. I'm saying maybe appreciate the performance understanding the actor hasn't been found guilty of committing any crime.
It's so unsettling, because you (in a way) can't argue with Doe's logic (things he's saying in the car). You say to yourself, "I'm not like him AT ALL!!"
That fraction-of-a-second flash of his wife's face before Mills kills John Doe was brilliant. You could see that Mills was sick with shock and grief but trying not to give Doe what he wanted. Then his mind couldn't help it...and thought of her and what he lost, and he instantly killed Doe. I think that split- second shot of Tracy's face meant everything to the scene.
David Fincher did this in Fight Club as well but with mischievous intentions 🤣
@@nishanthgeorge6534 lol. So true.
David Fincher did this with Gone Girl too. It takes great production, great sounds, great actors, great picture, great sensitivity and a genius touch. Fincher knows all about it.
I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS IVE REWATCHED THIS MOVIE TOO. THANKYOU FOR THIS WTF
@user-dc7mf8pc1m 👍🏼 It's fast enough to count as a subliminal image, I think. You may think that you didn't notice it, but I'd bet that your subconscious did.
"What's in the box!?" It hardly gets more iconic then that.
Only then vs than is more iconic.
Yeah, it does. Watch the afi 100 and the bfi 100
Than*
A brand new clockwork radio
I prefer “DETECTIIIIIIVE!!”
Carolina should watch Nightcrawler if she hasn't seen it. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a sociopath who becomes a paparazzi. It's disturbing as hell but very well-written, and he's pretty great in it. Absolutely terrifying. Btw, Fincher also did Fight Club.
I wonder why he hasn't bagged an Oscar yet
@@jaiminsharma I know! I actually haven't seen a lot of his films, but I've seen enough to know he can act. Never understood all the hate.
Gyllenhaal’s best performance along with prisoners imo, an absolute masterclass. Him not getting an Oscar Nom was insanity when that was easily one of if not the best performance of the year, should’ve won the best actor Oscar over redmayne who was great but not as good and Gyllenhaal
And alien 3. But studios messed and noted the crap out of it and he started so far behind. They screwed him so bad so early in his career, they gave him a free pass make a movie your way complete freedom. This is what he did
Fun fact: Denzel Washington turned down the role of Mills, which went to Brad Pitt. He has since deeply regretted it.
Also, the studio wanted a different ending. Pitt & Freeman said “hell no,” and both threatened to walk if the studio changed it.
1995 was a huge year for crime thrillers. This stood out.
Thank god! Danzel could play somerset but not Mills
@@cinemaspace2890 I have to agree. From the characters I remember, even with the wild ones (like in Training Day), he always has some degree of discipline or self-control. Mills needed to be without that.
In 1995, _The Usual Suspects_ was released shortly before _Se7en..._ for an obvious reason.
Denzel is so good in the equalizer
This is one of the few movies where the evil character wins at the end. This film it's SO well made. Great reaction, girls!
"Wins" feels like an understatement. Lol. Doe annihilated everyone. It's hard to tell who got it worse...the people he killed, or the people who witnessed the aftermath.
@@PoeInTheDitch So true, man!
@@PoeInTheDitchDefinitely people who got killed, ESPECIALLY the prostitute & the guy who was bounded to bed for one year.
yeah. so does The dark knight and revenge of the sith..
The Usual Suspects or umm watch any Korean Movie crime movie lol. They mostly have the antagonist win in some way. Examples OLDBOY
When John Doe comes to the station and yells Detective!!!. If you are watching it for first time, the moment Kevin Spacey comes your anxiety levels go through roof.
This is one case you’re wrong about the ending. The ending was not decided by the producers to make money. They actually wanted a different good ending but brad Pitt fought for the ending we see now in the final product that has made it a classic.
I mean, I am sure Fincher fought for the ending as well.
@@Harkness78 Yes, everyone involved insisted that they keep that ending. Fincher said that any time he mentioned the script around Hollywood people were like: "Oh, yeah... the 'head in the box' movie!"
He also said they had to fight mightily to get Spacey in the film. He was a bit too expensive for their budget and I think Pitt may have dropped his price so they could hire Kevin.
@@RolandDeschain1 Turns out Spacey is just as creepy in real life.
@@johnbrowne2170wrong
@@AtownOriginal Lovd the ending. It was a grizzly movie so the ending was perfect.
Fun fact: For the Sloth scene, special effects head Rob Bottin made a bunch of photos showcasing the decay of the victim over a year and there were dozens of pictures he gave to director, David Fincher. He apparently was like "I really only needed two pictures, the before and after". Also during the chase scene, Brad Pitt broke his hand when he fell on the roof and finished the scene before yelling in pain
I didn't know that! Very cool. I also heard that the actors during the sloth scene were told that it was either a dummy or an actor on the bed (can't remember which), but the director didn't tell them that the actor on the bed was going to spring to life! So those were their real reactions!
Brad Pitt had to have surgery.He cut his arm/wrist area severely.Strange thing, there was footage of this that was showed by gossip shows like Inside Edition.
Also, a cool little behind-the-scenes anecdote of this film is the fact that Spacey was so method in his role that for the part where Morgan Freeman's character opens the box, it was supposed to be empty but Spacey had secretly cut Gwyneth Paltrow's head off in real life to put in the box instead, so the reaction you see in the film from Freeman is genuine shock.
Its 4 weeks later... I don't care...
I just love that so much.@@JackRabbitSlim
All props to David Fincher... he's been in my Top 5 favorite directors since I saw this film, but also have to give credit to Andrew Kevin Walker for this horrifyingly creepy script. Whenever I see them collaborate, I'm there for it.
I remember seeing this in the cinema when it came out. I knew absolutely nothing about it and I walked out of there feeling like I had just been hit in the head with a bat.
When the 'Sloth' guy came back to life it is the closest I have ever been to pissing myself in fright.
This is an all-time classic and one of the best movies of the 90s.
The real MVPs of this film are the art team and production design. They don't get enough credit for making this movie so engrossing and dark next to the great performances.
Fun Fact: The prop head of Gwyneth Paltrow that was originally in the box is the same prop head that was used during her character's death scene in Contagion
No. They actually cut off Gwyneth's head for real then sewed it back after filming had wrapped up.
@@eatsmylifeYTdamn that's method
@@eatsmylifeYTHahahahaha
@@eatsmylifeYT ???
The scene at the end, when David Mills (Brad Pitt's character) becomes "wrath," has for me -- and I assume many others -- always raised a very interesting two-part question: (a) Is there even one prosecutor in the country who would even charge Mills with manslaughter? (b) If so, is there even one jury that would actually convict him? If I were one of the jurors, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't vote to acquit him. I suspect I'm *far* from alone in that regard.
There was a case in the 80s where a Kung-Fu instructor who had kidnapped and rap'ed a young boy, he was being led thru the airport by police after being captured, and the Father ran up and shot him dead. And the Father was acquitted by the Jury on all charges. So it can/should happen sometimes.
@@Harkness78that video is wild. Him pretending to be on the pay phone waiting to do it. Can't blame the guy.
Perfect letter vs spirit of the law scenario.
There's no way I would see a jury convicting him. A decent defense lawyer would simply put the jurors in the position of having them imagine them finding out there partner was not only murdered, which not only do you have to deal with the shock of finding out someone you loved was killed. You don't even have a second to process that, then you find out oh yeah you see that box over there? Your partners head is in that box. Now not only do you have to process the fact that your partner was murdered but now have to imagine there damn head cut off and placed in a damn ups box. Oh wait there's more did your brain process the first two bit of news that was told to you in less than a minute ago? It gets even better, you know the man that murdered your wife? He got to go into detail in how she begged him not to do it and here's the kicker, congrats you would of been a dad too but meh I ignored all that when she told me and still killed them both anyways. Damn you didn't know you were going to be a dad? Oops my bad for telling you before she ever had a chance to tell you but congrats anyways. Now just imagine being told all that info all in about a minute while holding a gun and the killer is right in front of you? 9 out of 10 would of pulled the trigger and no person would be in there right mind getting all that damaging information all at once. Mills would of needed mandatory counseling and that's it but no juror member unless they had zero heart would convict a man after all the s**t that Mills found out all at once.
Classic temporary insanity case. They might plead him down to something lesser, but either way i doubt he'd see a single day inside prison.
Fincher is just one of those directors who sees things differently! Spacey had a great year. This and The Usual Suspects, same year! So ur gonna have to do, The Usual Suspects, next!
I didn't know they were made in the same year! That's awesome. How lucky to find two fantastic scripts within a short time frame, AND get a role in both of them!
@@veggiesarefruitsA popular fan theory exists that John Doe is Keyzer Soze.
You wanna go on a 1990s Spacey rampage (back when the guy was still revered), make sure to watch L.A. Confidential also. Freakin brilliant movie as well, with a truly brilliant performance.
A bunch of truly awesome actors are/were famously crap people in real life. Very sad, not sure if that's part of what made them so good, or just some unrelated duality in their persona... *shrug*
@@lennyvalentin6485 that was a great flick, all around acting!
One of the rare movies that is always still disturbing every time you see it. Another movie I always thought was underrated but is a well made crime thriller like this is "The Bone Collector" with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and a good supporting cast as well. Would be a great reaction movie if you haven't seen it.
Good call. _The Bone Collector_ is a fantastic film that doesn't get nearly enough attention.
Yes and no, nobody really remembers Bone Collector, EVERYONE remembers this movie.
The sad thing is that if Mills Had chosen NOT to shot John, John's "masterpiece" would not be complete. He would go to Jail KNOWING that his work will NEVER be completed. And I GUARANTEE you that this would have hurt him more than anything in the world.
Absolutely. That’s why Somerset was trying to make him understand that very point. Doe would have been raging that he didn’t complete his “work.”
I can't agree more, but this end it's also dangerous, 'cause John finally sent his message with a strange authority, I mean setting the example by giving up his own life : "I'm a sinner, I must die too" .
How insane is that?
Fun Fact: It doesn't occur to most people that John Doe only killed one person throughout the film.
Gluttony - Man eats himself to death.
Greed - Rich attorney forced to cut off a pound of flesh.
Sloth - Emaciated man tied to a bed.
Lust - Prostitute killed by a man using a bladed S&M device.
Pride - Model kills herself rather than live with disfigured face.
Envy - John Doe is Envy, having stalked and killed Mills' wife because he couldn't have their "normal" life.
Wrath - Mills becomes Wrath by killing John Doe
Clever. I never thought of that.
Didn't he kick the gluttony victim after force feeding him?
Nah, to me that's just flat-out incorrect. I see where you're coming from, but holding a gun to somebody's head and threatening them with murder as a means to force them to eat themselves to death, or cut off a pound of their flesh, or wear a bladed strapon, as well as strapping a man to a bed for a year, none of those are any better than shooting them in the head then and there and the fact that he didn't directly murder them on the spot would not hold up in court in the slightest. It's very much like a Jigsaw/John Kramer situation. Where the killer "didn't kill anybody themselves," rather the trap (or in this case, the action) is what killed them. But the deaths could not and would not have happened without John Doe, or without John Kramer. The blood is still on their hands, and every victim in this movie, I sincerely believe, would be credited as murder/manslaughter aside from Wrath. Even Pride would still be treated as an act of manslaughter IMO because the model would not have committed suicide if John Doe had never disfigured her face. Cause and effect, it's still his doing no matter how you look at it.
Technically yes, but by law that's abetment to suicide and still a crime
He put them in those situations.the gluttony man has his feet bound. That denotes a hostage.
If yall like David Fincher, really should watch "The Game" an underrated gem that not everybody knows of, but when they watch it they love it.
Freeman's character doesnt want to retire with a case thats going to have him puzzling over it long after he's retired. Thats why he doesn't want to work the case, detectives can fixate pretty hard
This movie is something. Despite having lesser screen time, kevin spacey steals all the light from the leads. The movie takes a different turn once his character is introduced. This movie is one of my all time best movies
After this movie, villains in movies start turning themselves in (e.g, The Joker, Khan, etc.). This flick was highly influential.
Anyone can preach kindness and forgiveness when they see tragedy. It's when tragedy strikes them that suddely they thirst for justice and vengance.
I can see Mills getting acquitted due to the extreme circumstances. He would never be a cop again tough.
Nothing is better than watching other people experience this movie and this twist for the first time. A brilliant reaction from the ladies.
Aw congrats on being a new cat mom. I'm an old cat mom, my baby actually passed away yesterday after 22 years together. Miss him like crazy already.
"what's in the box" is one of the most iconic and famous lines in cinema history. One of my favorite films.
Nothing gives me more joy that good movies and good music. I realized that recently. I admire a lot the people that can put together something as complex and clever as this movie
I don't think many people mention it, but the acting by Leland Orser, the Lust guy, was one of the best performances in the film. Shows regret and fear simultaneously.
Since Se7en, I think he was stamped as a talented "freak out" supporting actor which could explain why he was chosen to play in Alien: Resurrection two years later.
In his famous "What's inside me?" scene, he made a similar performance, showing fear and confusion at the same time.
That Green Banker's Desk Lamp was a retro-fashion statement hearkening back to the 1920s (pre-Great Depression), and a trend started in TV and film since the '70s during Hollywood's big nostalgia period when it became ultra-used as a prop, thereby perpetuating it as fashionable to this day.
Such a classic. Such good storytelling. -great observation how his wife was the only sunshine in the whole film 👏🏾. So powerful to take that away at the end! And the showed us how brazen Brad Pitt’s character is the entire film, so you would believe he would shoot him recklessly at the end. Wow
Some quick foreshadowing with the "Delivery Van"- the company's logo is a "box with wings." "Wings" in delivery services usually represent Mercury's wings however they are drawn as "Angel wings." The box is the same perfectly square box as the box with Tracy's head. The symbolism being Tracy has already gone to Heaven.
That seems to be a stretch . . .
The desk lamp being in 1990s movies - that type of desk lamp is actually way old, dating back to like, the 1930s or '20s at least. It adds to the both timeless and anachronistic tone of this movie, where it could almost have been shot today in a lot of ways, but also feels like a relic out of the past, particularly with its noir look and feel.
Somerset and Mills wearing trenchcoats and hats, for example - men wearing hats in particular is something that went out of style in the 1960s - with JFK actually, I've heard said. Also, typewriters, and fluorescent green computer screens, and boxy-looking cars. Even for the time it was made it had this divergent style that made it difficult to pin down exactly when in time it belongs.
Very very unique, and interesting. Absolutely adds to the appeal of the movie.
Hearing you talking about Brad Pitt at the beginning amused me. You both said that he doesn't really do anything for you until you saw him on screen. The man is almost 60 years old now so you didn't get the full experience women had 30 years ago of just how attractive of a man he is.
Yessssss
I love this movie. Sometimes in life the evil wins. Its just how it is.
Umm, most of the times evil wins if you haven't noticed ;D
My mom always had the hots for Brad Pitt since Thelma & Louise and I was like: "Okay, he's handsome, calm down." Then he takes off his shirt in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood".
And I had to yield "Yeah, okay, that is really sexy.". Too bad she died before seeing it, though.
Too bad y'all don't know Hrithik Roshan, an Indian Actor, you should definitely check out his movies
"Why did every single office in the 90s have that green lamp?"
Bankers lamps are synonymous with office work (originally meant for bank halls, hence the name) because green is said to be a soothing colour that helps with concentration, making it a popular desk lamp. Office culture of the 80s and 90s was its own unique aesthetic and these lamps were ordered in mass number and found practically everywhere because of their color and design, hence why they also show up in so many movies of the time.
Seven and 12 Monkeys came out about a month apart. I developed a respect for Brad Pitt as an actor across that month that I haven't ever had cause to reverse.
Lol that lamp has been in every office I’ve ever worked in, in real life as well.
36:09 Didn't count Fincher's Fight Club, which would also be another good example and should be a good reaction for the channel :)
We must remember, that, Morgan Freeman is one of the most praised actors in the world. I grew up watching him in the mid to late 70s, on PBS, as EASY READER, on ELECTRIC COMPANY!!!
This was a masterpiece of story telling and film making, very well made, and well acted, with a gut-punch of an ending. One of Pitt's finest performances. The look on your faces was priceless, and worth every second of waiting to see your responses to that ending. I love this movie, for it's genre it's one of the best I've ever seen, keeps you riveted thru-out, and in no ways does it disappoint or let up, or let you down, a 10 if their ever was one.
I honestly don’t remember the reaction but I feel I need to say “Thank you” lol fantastic reaction ladies please more of this Duo 😁🙏🏻
One of the only films I can think of the bad guy wins in the end and there is ZERO happy ending. This is a crime/thriller masterpiece that will never be usurped of its crown. Andrew Kevin Walker has never even come close to writing anything as provocative as this. I am hoping that 'The Killer', reuniting Fincher and Walker will do it!!
One of my favorite films. Very emotional and thrilling script with superb performances and outstanding directing
When you think about it, killing John Doe at the end could be a reduced sentence for Mills since that can be considered voluntary manslaughter under temporary insanity. At the worst it can be second degree murder; but in both cases, temporary insanity can be asserted as an affirmative defense. But that's just my lawyer hat talking.
Due to the circumstances of the murder, would the prosecutor even be willing to try David? Would a jury even convict him? Wouldn't the whole system try to protect him, or give him the least amount of punishment possible? Just asking your opinion as an attorney.
@21stcenturyhiphop in my POV, the prosecutor would've done his duty by pursuing an indictment, but you're right-the jury would find it hard to convict him once they put themselves in David's shoes. They'd probably give him time served and release him. But as an attorney, you would have a much better take than I do, honestly.
@@pedronavaja4837 Thanks again for your take.
13:12 That's actually John Doe in disguise
The Sloth victim still unsettles me to this day. Imagine strapped in a bed for a year, tortured, and he even tried committing suicide by chewing off his tongue but to no avail. The bladed strap-on was another freaky one. Just seeing how traumatized the guy in the interrogation room was enough for the mind to piece what happened.
I think that Kevin Spacey, Anthony Hopkins, and Jack Nicholson are my three favorite actors to portray the psychopathic character in movies.
I agree but don`t forget Christopher Walken in "A View to a Kill" and "At Close Range". Pretty damn good.
You guys need to do a “killing them softly” movie reaction, super slept on brad Pitt movie
Insanely underrated film.
Fun facts time...Denzel Washington was offered this film and turned it down because he thought it was too dark.He later did a serial killer film called Fallen.There was an alternative ending that wasnt filmed which showed Somerset shooting John Doe and thus,he dosent complete his mission.There was a sequel in development and sequel envolved Somerset and the producers were going to adapt the fim script Suspect Zero into the sequel.
Another David Fincher movie that has Brad Pitt in it is "Fight Club". You'll like it. It is totally messed up too. :D Not as much as this one though, but.... close. LOL
The yelling fire thing makes sense. Yelling for help requires people to risk potentially endangering themselves for an unidentified purpose. But fire is a communal threat people immediately understand.
(Otoh, I’d imagine if people run to look for a fire a victim might lose more time trying to communicate because people who come would be expecting a different threat? 🤷🏻♂️)
The dark green lamp shade keeps the light coming off it focus on the desk rather than lighting up the room. It's much easier on the eyes when you spend hours on end doing paper work having a regular lamp or on ceiling lights would give you a headache after a few hours. Plus they also look pretty cool.
The fingerprint tech is Morgan Freeman’s son.
The director didn’t tell the cop who leaned over the sloth victim that he was still going to be a alive so when he gasped that was the actors genuine reaction.
Their cop wife discussion was probly the healthiest "i cnt date that person" convo ive heard online in weeks. Def shows maturity knowing your not built for something and not wanting to bring down or stress out sumbody
The anxiety I always feel when Somerset is left alone with that box... the silence... it's too much almost lol
Lol if you thought was intense, imagine watching on a big screen in a theatre…I remember when the lights came up, most folks were still in their seats…just trying to absorb what they had seen.
Yes.....
People didn't get right up but just sat in their seats for a minute or two, mouths open, in shock...
At 0:30 Cinepal says, "we're watching a Brad Pitt today". SEVEN is not a Brad Pitt movie. He didn't write the 127-page screenplay, and he didn't convert those 127 pages into images (director David Fincher did). The words Pitt says in the movie are not his words. Those are lines of the screenplay written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Are the Cinepals stupid? 🤔
Dude chill
Some people call the film by the name of the actor, some by the name of the director
And even some people would call a movie by the name of the main character (The Protagonist)
Like my friends call the pirates of the caribbean jack sparrow's 🤣
Those green lamps weren't really a 90's thing. It's known as a Banker's Lamp and have been around since the early 1900's. They were popular in banks, libraries, law offices, etc. They have had swings in popularity but have never gone out of style really.
Ya beat me and worded perfectly.
You might enjoy some other Morgan Freeman movies / playing a detective. “Kiss the Girls”, “Along Came a Spider”.
Fun fact; I work regularly with fingerprints using literally the most advanced fingerprint recognition system ever made. Three days to get a match is an absolute result, especially in a city
You can't "train" for something like that!..Can't fault him for doing what he did, and I think most anyone else would have done the same.
Se7en is one of the greatest films ever made!! I love it so damn much!!
Steph: Are you a fan of Brad Pitt…his face…his vibe…
Carolina: *meh*
*first frame of Brad Pitt*
Carolina: …ok, I have a crush
😆
"Disturbed...Upsetting...gave me so much anxiety...but it was so well made...it was so good" Yup. Pretty much says it all.
A lot of people watch movies for the actors. We watch FILM for the Director.
It’s not a brad Pitt movie. It’s a David Fincher Film 😂🎉
this is one of 90s cinema's best...and definitely Brad Pitt's best movie.
Great reacrion!! If you haven’t already… you need to see/react to “Fight Club” (David Fincher & Brad Pitt again)… plus “The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty” (more great Kevin Spacey roles).
Brad Pitt is highly underrated as an actor
I love the look of the green banker's lamp. Its classy, makes an office look professional. I think it was the iconic design that kept it around so long.
You know the writers, director, and actors have done their job when they can cultivate an emotional reaction from the audience about one of the victims.
"detecTIIIIVEE!!!" This movie never gets old! 🤩
24:00. Well, perhaps they are in the same mindset, now, and think the same way, and then would be encouraged, or comforted by the constant barrage. Remember, they are your age, not the ancient people you are viewing from the long long ago.
Nobody ever stays for the end-credits to roll for S7even 😢
David Bowie's 'Heart's Filthy Lesson' hits like a cold shower right after a hot one. Leaves you with an existential crisis like none other.
First time I saw this movie, the end credits just pushed me further into depression......fuxxk I was a mess 😂
I watched until the end of the credits when I saw it in a theater in 1995. Every other time I've shut it off when the guys in the helicopter start freaking out over Doe being killed. The epilogue is garbage. (I've seen it again in reaction videos.)
YES, YES, I knew it Kevin Spacey playing the Killer. Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, & Kevin Spacey what an all star cast.
Pitt had a run of great 1990s flicks: therma and Louise, interview with the vampire,
Seven, legends of the fall, 12 monkeys, fight club, etc
This movie is something you only watch once in ur life. But with you guys, I will watch again bec it's a really good film. Traumatising but well made.
Once?
Nah....
Such a great, intense and intelligent movie that actually begs to be watched over and over...
@@johnyd1911 yeah Ive seen it mor than 10 times.
There was a story boarded ending where Somerset killed John Doe so Mills wouldn't do it and thus John didn't win.
Thinking of the story in the traditional "villain is the mirror reflection of the hero(s)" you can understand how the three characters are opposites but also the same (think of apathy vs. action in the horrible city in this movie), control vs. impulsiveness, etc. The moral argument is summed up in the car ride, especially between Somerset and Doe.
Good observation about John Doe thinking "what he's doing is right:" When it comes to good screenwritng/storytelling, the villain and the hero are aligned in their goal. Mills and Sommerset want to clean the streets up and take out the "bad guys" and John Doe wants the same thing. They just go about it in different ways (to put it mildly.)
Morgan Freeman has the easier part of the tired, unmoved, methodical policeman, and he plays it to perfection.
Those green lamps go all the way back to the 30's. I think the reason you see them in the 90's is in government offices they don't replace things until they break or are too expensive to continue using.
Now “Fight Club”! Woot!
Yes! Do Fight Club! and also The Usual Suspects if they haven't
This movie is David Fincher and crew's finest work. Fight Club and The Game are coming close but all behind for me. You girls should check out The Game if haven't
If a women can choose to be mother or not ..a man has to have the right to choose to be father too.. trapping a man in fatherhood to suck his resources out have been the most major weapon women use in recent times
My must see Brad Pitt films, this one, Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Snatch, Kalifornia. There's more good Pitt films but those are my favorites.
The green "library/banker " lamps have been a thing for 100 years.
Fincher also did Panic Room with Jodie Foster, one of my favorites
Pitt was asked in an interview what people typically say or yell out to him, "What's in the box!?" Gwyneth wore a box on her head with "FRAGILE" on it for Halloween.
I remember I watched this movie at 3 in the morning. I don't know why I was so god damn scared even though it is not a horror movie but the story really scared me!!!
No jury on earth would convict him. The definition of "temporary loss of sanity".
The tag line for this movie should have been "Make sure the sun is shining when you leave the theater."
- Pitt and Paltrow were dating during filming.
- Pitt really injured himself when he fell onto the taxi window, and worked into the movie; broke his hand and severed tendons.
- Spacey wasn't credited in the opening credits, and didn't promote the film.
- Stallone and Denzel Washington were originally offered the part that went to Pitt.
- All of John Doe's books were real books, written for the film. They took two months to complete, and cost $15,000.
- Val Kilmer turned down the role of John Doe.
- Guillermo del Toro turned down the chance to direct; theme was too dark.
I don’t see how any man could have behaved differently than Mills did. If I were standing in front of the man that killed my family, I know what would happen. God forbid.
This is a film that demands to be discussed after watching.
Yeah she made zero sense when she said that lol who the hell would be calm after finding out your wife and unborn child was murdered while her head is in a box about yards away from you lol that was kind of a dumb thing to say. It's like telling her yeah you loss someone you love but control yourself lol he didn't lose his wife due to natural causes, she was MURDERED with her head cut off. Mills acted like any other man would of acted if they were put in that same situation
I feel like the film establishes that the world is pretty awful, and then shows different reactions to it. Somerset wants to walk away from people, and not be involved, he is sort of "giving up" in a way. Mills doesn't think that the world is all that bad initially and dismisses Doe as a "nutbag". And Doe himself has a similar opinion of the world as Somerset however his solution is to punish people for it
When you called and said “I admire you” he basically told them what his next move was.
🔥 *The Bone Collector* (1999) | starring Denzel Washington & Angelina Jolie
🔥 *Law Abiding Citizen* (2009) | starring Gerard Butler & Jamie Foxx
BONUS TRACK
🔥 Hannibal Trilogy starring Anthony Hopkins
*The Silence of the Lambs* (1991)
*Hannibal* (2001)
*Red Dragon* (2002)
A wonderful David Fincher movie. Fun fact: The detective that Brad Pitt plays (Detective Mills), that part was originally for Denzel Washington. Once I found that out I've always wondered how the movie would have been had Denzel been available.
I know Kevin Spacey has his haters, but please remember as of today the accusations against him has resulted in one trial in which he was found not not guilty. I'm not saying to throw him a parade.
I'm saying maybe appreciate the performance understanding the actor hasn't been found guilty of committing any crime.
It's so unsettling, because you (in a way) can't argue with Doe's logic (things he's saying in the car). You say to yourself, "I'm not like him AT ALL!!"