Se7en, a masterclass in subversion of expectations

 

Se7en is one of favourite movies off all time. It should have gotten 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. And frankly this is one movie that deserves a remake. It is the perfect movie. Se7en is flawless and has no blemishes. As a writer I can only hope to write a story half as good as Se7en. When I am thinking of plots and stories I struggle with coming up with plot twists and how to build suspense and subvert the expectations of the reader. How the writers of Se7en does it is beyond comprehension.

When I started watching the movie, I thought it was a regular good cop catches bad guy movie. And for half the movie it seems like they will finally catch the serial killer who is murdering people based on their vices, the seven deadly sins. When the serial killer enters the police station with a bloody shirt I was shocked and my expectations were subverted. I have never seen such a spectacle in a movie. 

When the detectives begin questioning the character played by Kevin Spacey, I was expecting him to be placed in handcuffs and led away to prison. But then John Doe the serial killer tells David Mills played by Brad Pitt and Detective Lt Somerset there is another body he must show them I was at the edge of my seat. This what great story telling is about. 

Then the two detectives and the serial killer head off to the crime scene and I am expecting to see two dead bodies in a ditch. Only to find out John Doe has killed David Mills wife played by Gwyneth Paltrow and had the head delivered to him. The final confrontation between David Mills and John Doe is nerve wracking. Part of me wanted David to kill John Doe and I expected him to do the right thing and put the weapon down. And when he blasts the serial killer I was torn emotionally. The ending was bittersweet. John Doe turns David Mills into a killer  and wins whilst also taking a bullet in the head. The bad guy triumphs and loses at the same time. 

As a writer I do not think I could ever tell a story quite as sublime as Se7en. Where he got the idea I will never know. Although I saw an interview where the writer said that the movie company did not want such a bleak ending but the actors and writers pushed for the original ending. I guess the lesson here is that sometimes it is okay for the antagonist to defeat the protagonist.