Say You Miss Me: The Heart's Filthy Lesson Falls Upon Deaf Ears

In the evening light, under the power lines, Mills is pointing his pistol at John Doe, who is kneeling before him, praying for Mills to take his life. To the right, Somerset is begging Mills not to go through with it. Right here, right now, this is America.

David Fincher's SE7EN was released in the fall of 1995. At the time, Brad Pitt wasn't regarded as a good actor, until this film. Morgan Freeman had the respect of pretty much everyone at the time, coming off THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, and would later win his first Oscar for MILLION DOLLAR BABY. But SE7EN remains their definitive work, and it remains David Fincher's best film. At the time it was released, SE7EN was considered just another police procedural/serial killer film, meant to scare audiences. Michael Mann's HEAT had not yet arrived in theaters, and after it did people considered HEAT to be the superior work that year.

In the years since SE7EN's release, however, I am of the opinion that it is not only better than HEAT, but possibly the best film of the 90s. And the truths it gives are as important today as then, perhaps more so. In SE7EN we have a modern parable for our times. It is a morality tale, but not the kind that most expect to see. SE7EN urges us to question our convictions, no matter how right we think they are, because to walk goosestep into the light means we'll likely trip on the first obstacle in our path.

We start at the beginning. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) meticulously prepares for his day. Like a knight putting on his armor, he steels himself against the world. It's his last week on the job as a police detective. He goes to that morning's crime scene - a domestic shooting - and asks if the kid saw it. He doesn't much care if he did, it's just something Somerset can say to himself so he can feel the guilt that he endures every day. Mills (Brad Pitt) comes storming down the stairs, and he and Somerset have a conversation as they leave the scene. It becomes obvious that Mills is the "do gooder" cop in a bad city, and as Somerset reacts to him with bemusement the audience begins to buy into that cliche. But things are not as simple as that.

Somerset and Mills together make one great cop. Somerset is meticulous and intelligent and isn't afraid of research. His mind is both blessing and curse. It never stops, even in his sleep. Somerset is to the point that he needs a metronome to calm his mind at the end of the day. Mills, on the other hand, is not good at research, or mindwork. However, Mills can react among the best of them. He recognizes danger and shoots back like a professional. When Somerset is confronted with real danger, he flops. Mills reacts appropriately as a police officer. Thing is, the longer they stay with each other, the more the other picks up their attributes.

Morally, Mills and Somerset couldn't be more different. Mills, in the back of his mind, believes he can change the world. Brad Pitt's performance as Mills is amazing - we never know where Mills is from, or his background, but through Pitt's performance we get subtle hints about who he is. His Mideastern inflections in his speech. The "Yeah?" he gives at the end of his sentences. His sports ties. His reaction to the books Somerset assigns him to read. It's obvious Mills is a Red Stater. He probably never voted Democrat once in his life. Still, Mills is a good man. When Somerset asks him if he really thinks he can make a difference, Mills exclaims "Hell yeah!" He's a crusader in a world that doesn't ask for one.

Somerset, on the other hand, is worn down. He has long stopped believing he can make a difference. He only continues working for the mental stimulation he gets from each case, much like a student examining a dissected animal on the operating table. He has no regrets leaving the force. The city is as much a part of him as he is of the city, and he is dying to leave. "I don't understand this place any more," he says to his captain (R. Lee Ermey).

Our third man in this film is John Doe (Kevin Spacey). He is a serial killer. He reenacts the Seven Deadly Sins in his murders, to send a message to the world that their apathy and their sinful ways will no longer be tolerated. "And when I am through, this will be puzzled over, and studied, forever." But, much like Mill's do-gooder belief that he can change the world, Doe is wrong as well. Both are going for the same goal, but with radically different ways.

Mills and Somerset come across John Doe's first murder. An obese man is forced to eat himself to death. Behind the refrigerator is written the word GLUTTONY. Mills is chomping at the bit to take the case, but Somerset understands that this is not the end, but the beginning, and refuses. The next murder involves a local defense attorney and the word GREED written in blood on the floor. After this murder it becomes obvious to Mills that this is part of a series. And Somerset, despite his own interests, decides to help Mills in the case.

Now the film begins to take a real interest in the lives of Somerset and Mills. We see Mills's home, with his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his dogs. We begin to understand that Mills really does love his job, he loves his wife, and he wants to make the world a better place. And it's infectious - Somerset may think Mills is naive, but he cannot deny his sense of justice and his enthusiasm.

As the murders continue, Mills and Somerset come to an understanding about each other, but still can't come to the point of changing their minds or lives. And that is where the real tragedy of the film takes place. Their lessons are right in front of them, but because of their unwillingness to change their convictions, or to even question them, it's all lost. And it ends up costing them more than they can afford to pay. It costs Mills his sanity, and his wife. Granted, Mills couldn't have done much to save Tracy, but if he had questioned his convictions more, he would have realized that his wife was in real danger from a serial killer. He knew that John Doe knew who he was. And he failed to act, in his zeal to get the bad guy. Somerset is also at fault in that he needed to put his heart into the case more instead of considering it some intellectual exercise. Their heart's filthy lessons really fall upon deaf ears.

SE7EN could also be considered allegorical. It's easy to paint Mills as a Red State Republican, Somerset as the self-loathing Blue State Democrat, and John Doe as the outside danger, Iraq, or Osama Bin Laden, or something along those lines. But I prefer to think of it as an image of America - because our zealots refuse to question their own convictions, and others refuse to understand just where and why their convictions are the way they are, we are becoming what we loathe. Left-thinkers are becoming close-minded, convinced they are correct. And the right-thinkers demonize those who don't agree with them. And we are preyed upon by those who take advantage of our confusion and force us to become just like our enemies. "If you kill him, David, he will win."

"Hemingway once wrote, the world is a good place, and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." These closing lines end SE7EN on a strangely optimistic note - we must fight for our world, but we must have no illusions that it's perfect and not in need of serious repair. SE7EN does not leave us with much comfort, but it's the start of a long road of self-evaluation and understanding. And in trying to hear our heart's filthy lesson, we might - might - make the world a better place. SE7EN is a great and important film.

Comments

You know, HEAT is still my favorite movie of 95, and one of my three favorite movies ever, but I do agree that SE7EN is probably the best directed film of that decade, right ahead of Boogie Nights.

Posted by: Joe | September 03, 2005 at 10:51 AM