Matt Zoller Seitz | 2021-01-12 An appreciation of Tom Cruise's performance in "Eyes Wide Shut." Mills, the kid who has just been transferred into the district, walks bare-headed in the rain as if he'll be young forever. 1. Cinafilm has over seven million movie reviews and counting … About Us; Contact Us; Sitemap; Follow us on Cinafilm - Twitter Cinafilm - Pinterest; Sitemap. What could become a routine cop movie is elevated by the evocation of dread mythology and symbolism. Somerset, the veteran detective, wears a hat and raincoat. I wonder how long it took Roger Ebert to realize Se7en was a great film.It took me at least ten years. Watching the film, we assume the Tracy character is simply a place-holder, labeled Protagonist's Wife and denied much dimension. His crime was the crime of Gluttony. He doesn't. Blog Posts. For 5,185 reviews, this critic has graded: 73% higher than the average critic. Brad Pitt seems more one-dimensional, or perhaps guarded; he's a hothead, quick to dismiss Freeman's caution and experience. "Seven," a dark, grisly, horrifying and intelligent thriller, may be too disturbing for many people, I imagine, although if you can bear to watch, it you will see filmmaking of a high order. The material by itself could have been handled in many ways, but the director, David Fincher ("Alien 3"), goes for evocative atmosphere, and the writer, Andrew Kevin Walker, writes dialogue that for Morgan Freeman, in particular, is wise, informed and poetic. The killer obviously intends his elaborate murders as moral statement. Then he meets Mills (Brad Pitt), an impulsive young cop who actually asked to be transferred into Somerset's district. It's more of a character study, in which the older man becomes a scholar of depravity and the younger experiences it in an pitiable and personal way. - Roger Ebert "Seven" draws us relentlessly into its horrors, some of which are all the more effective for being glimpsed in brief shots. And the performances remain strong throughout, particularly how much Ambrose is willing to make Dorothy unlikable. EXCERPT FROM INTRO: This isn't like Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" series. He lives alone, in what looks like a rented apartment, bookshelves on the walls. It's not my idea of The Best Movies Ever Made (that would be a different list, though there's some overlap here), or limited to my personal favorites or my estimation of the most important or influential films. He has been reviewing films for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, and was the first film critic ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. type to search. Roger Ebert was likable and warm and seemed approachable. He did it in a way everyone could relate to: With clarity and purpose of thought, bursting from a deeply humanistic viewpoint, while tacking on an occasional one-liner that could knock a celebrity’s career off … The killer, as I said, turns himself in with 30 minutes to go, and dominates the film from that point forward. Far Flungers After Kane, Before … Review of Constantine (2005) by Roger … He embodies Evil. Across its seven episodes, the director converses with the author about all manner of things that irritate and inspire her. Each installment runs around 30 minutes, offering up just enough to leave you looking forward to the next. It is almost always raining in the city. But the original ending is still there, and the quote plays more like a bleak joke. It is his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) who brings a note of humanity into the picture; we never find out very much about her, but we know she loves her husband and worries about him, and she has good instincts when she invites the never-married Somerset over for dinner. This grim death sets the tone for David Fincher's "Seven," one of the darkest and most merciless films ever made in the Hollywood mainstream. Mark his composure and apparent fearlessness. This format continued through … Page 3 of 3 1 2 3. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Ebert & Roeper and the Movies 2000; Donation (PayPal) Contact Us; User Registration; Silver Streak #Disney1993 . A hopeful quote by Hemingway was added as a voice-over after preview audiences found the original ending too horrifying. Last updated: 11 Jan 2021 at 16:34 UTC. There are words scrawled at the crime scenes; the fat man's word is on the wall behind his refrigerator: Gluttony. Instead of being simply the quarry in a chase, he is revealed as a twisted but articulate antagonist, who has devised a horrible plan for concluding his sermon. Roger Ebert in 2011. How many have you seen? By giving the impression of scholarship, Detective Somerset lends a depth and significance to what the killer apparently considers moral statements. What goes unexplained is how, exactly, he is making a statement. Continuing the pitch-perfect critiques begun in "The Great Movies, Roger Ebert's "The Great Movies II collects 100 additional essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm--or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. In 2006, complications from thyroid cancer treatment resulted in the loss of his ability to eat, drink, or speak. Not even a fat man buys that much tomato sauce. It's not that he reads them so much as that he references them for viewers; it is often effective in a horror film to introduce disturbing elements from literature as atmosphere, and Fincher provides glimpses of Gustav Dore's illustrations for Dante, including the famous depiction of a woman with spider legs. "Seven" is not really a very deep or profound film, but it provides the convincing illusion of one. A movie like this is all style. The enigma of Somerset's character is at the heart of the film, and this is one of Morgan Freeman's best performances. Pryor to Murphy, 1983. Hit and Run. Mills settles for the Cliff Notes versions. Charles Rex Arbogast—AP. There are still elements to admire in these seven episodes like the top-notch craft, including tense, sweaty direction from Julia Ducournau (“Raw”) on the first two episodes, the best of the seven sent to press. score: 29 of 100 (29%) required scores: 1, 11, 17, 27, 49 list stats leaders vote Vote print comments. 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