Se7en 1995

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Unfortunately, most of the scenes in Seven are unlikely, which means that by the end of the movie the duo is battling not just an insane killer but an off-the-wall screenwriter. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Noticeable skill has gone into the making of Seven, but it's hard to take much pleasure in that. Read more

Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel: The odd thing about Seven, however, is that except for its facile, familiar and ridiculously gimmicky plot, it's a pretty involving murder mystery. Read more

Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer: The reason to see Seven, which is decidedly not for the faint of stomach, is not for the punishment of sin, but the many virtues of Freeman's contribution. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Were it not for the gravity and thoughtfulness of Morgan Freeman's performance as a retiring policeman, and the third-act appearance of its bizarre villain, Seven would be unendurable. Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: When's the last time you saw a movie in which The Divine Comedy figured as a significant plot point? Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: The crime scenes are rendered in sickening detail, and the whole film has a murky, madly pretentious tone. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: The filmmakers stick to their vision with such dedication and persistence that something indelible comes across -- something ethically and artistically superior to The Silence of the Lambs that refuses to exploit suffering for fun or entertainment. Read more

Carol Buckland, CNN.com: The movie is riveting in a gut-twisting way, but I, myself, would not call it "entertaining." Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Seven, the eerie new homicide thriller, has a tantalizingly morbid atmosphere of unease. Read more

Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker: Unfortunately, the movie's clammy design, glum cinematography, and lugubrious pace try to persuade us that what we're watching isn't an ingenious, silly piece of pulp but a serious meditation on the nature of evil. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: There's none of the humor that takes the sting out of slasher movies, and certainly none of the psychology and depth that made The Silence of the Lambs such an intellectual thriller. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Seven is unnecessarily gory and runs for a little too long, but neither of these elements detracts much from the film's enjoyability (unless you have a weak stomach). Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Good as it is, it misses greatness by not quite finding the right way to end. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: It's not the identity of the killer that gives Seven its kick -- it's the way Fincher raises mystery to the level of moral provocation. Read more

Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: Hannibal Lecter, say hello to John Doe. Read more

David Ansen, Newsweek: So chic, studied and murky it resembles a cross between a Nike commercial and a bad Polish art film. Read more

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: It is very tiresome peering through the gloom trying to catch a glimpse of something interesting, then having to avert one's eyes when it turns out to be just another brutally tormented body. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: Fincher handles the violence with sensitivity, announcing its obscenity in spoken analyses and briefly glimpsed post mortem shots, but never showing the murderous acts themselves. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Variety: An intensely claustrophobic, gut-wrenching thriller. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Unfortunately, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker's finale, in addition to its grossness, feels like an act of treachery against the viewer. Read more

Rita Kempley, Washington Post: Seven, a grisly social allegory drawn in blood and spawned in despair, casts a lingering, malodorous spell. Read more