Review of Seven: New Line Platinum Series

Introduction

If you’ve seen Seven, there are a couple of things that will stand out in your mind, apart from the sheer quality of the filmmaking and abundance of atmosphere. For those unfamiliar with the plot, I’ll not spoil the fun, but up until now, the DVD versions of Seven have been a disappointment. New Line have released this “Platinum Edition” to rectify this – giving us a fully remastered version of the film, alongside a vast array of extras.

The film follows a detective about to retire (Morgan Freeman) and his replacement (Brad Pitt) as they try to track a serial killer who chooses his victims according to the seven deadly sins. What follows is a dark psychological crime thriller, startlingly realistic and leading to a chilling climax.

Video

Seven has an intentionally dark and moody picture to go with the despairing nature of the film and this DVD does a fantastic job in bringing David Fincher’s vision to your TV screen.

The picture comes in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and is exceptional throughout, displaying fantastic detail, even in the many dark scenes. There’s no sign of dirt or grain and the image remains crisp and stable at all times.

Visually, the film is superb – designed to alarm and it works – the locations, crime scenes all look very realistic and add to the overall suspenseful feel of the movie.

Audio

The audio comes in a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 EX or DTS ES 6.1 Discrete. My system is DTS compliant (albeit 5.1 only), so that`s the version of the soundtrack I chose.

I cannot stress just how good the sound on Seven is. I`m not talking about good sound as in things flying over your head, or roaring around in the rear channel - Seven provides a demonstration of how to use sounds to create atmosphere.

When in the street for example, there is something happening in every direction – it’s like standing in a busy city street and just listening. Or how about when indoors – in Morgan Freeman’s flat, listen for the dull sound of the neighbour’s television and sounds from outside. Or the rainfall, that fills the room from every direction...the whole film is a sonic delight.

Seven is a creepy enough film at the best of times – add sound of this quality into the equation and it is even more alarming.

Features

This isn’t a “Platinum Series” release for nothing – there are two discs packed with extra features.

The first disc contains the movie and four (yes four) full-length commentaries alongside a DVD-ROM script that can be printed out for the really keen! Now I’m all for extra features, but four commentaries would mean watching the film 5 times, and given the running time, that means 10 hours and 35 minutes…a bit much even for a big fan of the film!

The second disc contains deleted scenes, extended takes, alternating endings, a look at the title sequence – including multi-angles and commentary, a look at mastering this new DVD version, galleries, stills, trailer, press kit and the web-site. There’s no making-of however, which would have been nice.

Conclusion

Seven is an excellent crime thriller, but certainly will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s not a violent film at all, but the crime scenes are exceptionally realistic and some very disturbing.

The cast is excellent, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are superb as the two detectives chasing the killer. Gwyneth Paltrow is good as Pitt’s wife (although she’s not in many scenes) and the supporting cast all play their parts well – there’s no weak link.

Most people saw Seven for the first time on video – and it alarmed them. When you watch it on this DVD, with the excellent sound mix, the atmosphere is even more tense, and the film is a great deal more alarming than before as you’re drawn into the despair.

Add an excellent range of extra features and you’ve got a winning package.

Recommended, although not for the faint of heart!