“This film has lingered outside of my top 100 every time I’ve written it up, but it picked up some momentum and finally made the cut. I think a lot of that has to do with my increasing love for director David Fincher. His name comes up quicker and quicker whenever I think about fave directors. Tarantino’s still the top, but Fincher (along with a couple other runners up) are nipping at his heels.
Pretty sure this was his directorial debut, and holy \m/ what an entrance. This is one of the smartest and darkest films I’ve ever encountered. As a very logical person, I like lists. I like themes. So the seven deadly sins theme to the serial killer hooks me like you would not believe. It has that gritty and dark visual that Fincher is known to utilize. It’s what made him the perfect choice for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and is the single thing that has me most psyched beyond all reason for Gone Girl. In this film in particular, everything just looks so dirty. You get uncomfortable watching, but in a way that absorbs you and adds to the whole experience. Fight Club had a similar dirt, but there it felt more like rebellion.
The cast for this is perfect. Morgan Freeman as the aging detective, who wants nothing more than rest (more mental than physical) but gets sucked into this one last case. The usually subtle and restrained Brad Pitt playing an uncharacteristically hot headed rookie-ish cop. To be honest though, it always takes me a minute to remember that it’s Pitt and not Ethan Hawke rocking his same Training Day look and role. But the ULTIMATE here is Kevin Spacey. This is up there with Usual Suspects for his best performance. So creepy because it’s so controlled. Just incredible.
There is not a part of this movie that isn’t completely \m/ up. I love the opening credits, with the Nine Inch Nails playing over the gruesome images. Is it bad that when the cops discover the notebooks with the killer’s thoughts (that were presumably used in the credits) all I want is to read thru one of them? Maybe I should stick to Divergent. The way the deaths line up with each of the sins is brilliant, and that infamous ending just sucks the air right out of you.
What’s in the box?”