Fincher Countdown Part 1 - Seven

Hello everyone and welcome to Some Like It Scott's latest limited series: the Fincher Countdown. Each week in the lead up to David Fincher's latest film, Mank, the two Scotts and countdown special guest, Jay Habib, will be working their way through most* of David Fincher's filmography in chronological order, starting from his non-franchise debut, the neo-noir psychological detective thriller, SEVEN, leading all the way to 2014's GONE GIRL. Join us each week as we talk about a different Fincher film!

 

On Part 1 of the countdown, Scott, Scott, and Jay revisit the film catapulted David Fincher into the Hollywood limelight: the Morgan Freeman-led, Brad Pitt-supporting neo-noir psychological detective thriller, SEVEN. Set in a crime-ridden New York City in the final week of Detective William Somerset's (Morgan Freeman) career, the aging detective is dispatched to the scene of a gruesome homicide-by-overeating. Saddled with a hothead new partner, David Mills (Brad Pitt), the hunt for a murderer quickly becomes a hunt for a serial killer, as several more bodies pop up, all themed around the concept of the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath. As Somerset puts his retirement on hold to crack this final case, he and Mills make for an interesting pair, and the former ultimately befriends the latter's wife (Gwyneth Paltrow), who confides in him a secret she's unsure whether to confess to her husband. Running short on time before their serial killer completes his seven murders, Somerset and Mills rush to chase down leads and find their suspect before the body count piles up. The countdown trio give their thoughts on Fincher's non-franchise debut, and whether his gritty, dark, and raw technique effectively juggles all the elements of a film as complex and twisty as Seven, as well as the quality of the performances from Freeman, Pitt, Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey.