SEVEN (1995)

Sometimes Fate is a bitch. Homicide detective Morgan Freeman has been walking the streets of this nameless, filthy, rainy metropolis for 34 years. Cruelty for no reason, rampant crime, heartless citizens, dogs and cats definitely not living together. It's a hellhole. He's only got one more week before his retirement and then he can finally leave this place forever...and what do you think happens? That's right. Some screwball starts killing people based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, improper twerking technique, lust, not using your blinker when changing lanes, watching Will Smith movies and envy. Freeman soon sees that his young sexy replacement, Brad Pitt, is in way over his head and that the killer is leading up to something. Will they be able to stop the killer before he completes his masterpiece?

One of my favorite things about watching a lot of movies and being in love with movies is seeing how they influence each other. I remember watching SEVEN when it first came out and it blew me away. The opening credits were especially awesome. It was like a Brothers Quay film, but in a mainstream movie! The other thing was just how gritty and fresh it felt. It's kind of hard to explain it now, since SEVEN (like it's opening credits sequence) has been cloned endlessly since then, but at the time it was pretty awesome. Watching it again now, for the first time in many years, SEVEN has lost some of it's punch but it's still a fun ride. For some reason, I remember it being a much darker film, but I guess that can probably just be chalked up to me being more innocent back then.

Quick pace, highly influential, good acting, plot holes, great camerawork, strong cast. SEVEN is mandatory viewing for all movie lovers.