Se7en (1995) - Summary

Summary

Meet Detective Somerset (Freeman) and Detective Mills (Pitt). Two very different detectives who have no choice but to come together to solve a malicious killing spree based on the Seven Deadly Sins (wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony). Somerset is a hardened detective who is merely a few days off of retirement whilst Mills is new in town, keen to dig deep into this mysterious case. The murderer, simply known to us during the early stages of the film as John Doe, takes our two detectives from crime scene to crime scene, from sin to sin, until ultimately everything boils up to an adrenaline blast of a climax.

Conventions of a Thriller; how they are linked to Se7en?

This convention is used consistently throughout the entirety of the movie. Crime scenes are darkly lit and even the outdoor sequences are dark and gritty. 

Notice the dark tone put over the footage in post production.

Hero at the mercy of the villain:

This convention appears a few times during the film, the first of which is when the killer has a gun to Mills' head in the alley and another instance is during the climax at the end. 

Mills' at the mercy of John Doe

               Dark Shadows:

 This is a prominent theme in Se7en. Similar to Low Key Lighting but slightly different because dark shadows are projected on to the surrounding whereas low key lighting is the general lighting in a shot.

Notice the shadows being projected from the furniture.