Today's scene comes from one of my favourite serial killer movies, and the film that put director David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac) on the map (let's just forget about Alien 3). The movie I am talking about is of course Se7en, a dark and violent picture about two cops (played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) trying to track down a murderer who kills his victims according to the seven deadly sins. Check the scene below in which "John Doe" (played brilliantly by Kevin Spacey) taunts the two detectives. All three performances are excellent, and Spacey's monologue can send chills down my spine.
WARNING: SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!
Now this is basically your standard "killers taunts the police" scene, but of all the scenes of that mould out there (and yes there are an awful lot), I think that this is one of the most believable. John Doe is like a slightly more fallible, less sophistocated version of Hannibal Lector. Sure he's clever, but also clearly human. And that really is the best thing about Se7en; it takes very old and familiar tropes: the obsessive killer, the young angry cop parterned with the world weary one (only a week away from retirement no less!) and manages to bring them new life.
Got any thoughts on Se7en? Leave them below!
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