As David Fincher’s Seven makes its debut on Blu-ray, we take a timely look back at the director’s classic thriller…
By now, David Fincher's 1995 serial killer thriller should be hopelessly passé. More than a decade of cheap TV murder mysteries and needlessly sadistic horror movies, all of which have borrowed freely from Fincher's blackly recognisable visual style, must surely have stripped Seven (or Se7en) of its murky appeal.
That Fincher's movie relies so heavily on style over logic, with a shock ending ("What's in the box?") that probably ranks alongside The Sixth Sense as the most widely known denouement of the 90s, should also make it an unrewarding candidate for repeat viewings.
And yet, 15 years on from its initial release, here comes Seven once again, appearing in high definition for the first time.
Morgan Freeman stars as Somerset, the world weary detective who, after 35 exhausting years on the force,...
By now, David Fincher's 1995 serial killer thriller should be hopelessly passé. More than a decade of cheap TV murder mysteries and needlessly sadistic horror movies, all of which have borrowed freely from Fincher's blackly recognisable visual style, must surely have stripped Seven (or Se7en) of its murky appeal.
That Fincher's movie relies so heavily on style over logic, with a shock ending ("What's in the box?") that probably ranks alongside The Sixth Sense as the most widely known denouement of the 90s, should also make it an unrewarding candidate for repeat viewings.
And yet, 15 years on from its initial release, here comes Seven once again, appearing in high definition for the first time.
Morgan Freeman stars as Somerset, the world weary detective who, after 35 exhausting years on the force,...
- 10/6/2010
- Den of Geek
As of this writing, I have just completed a lengthy and fascinating interview with an actor who I have been both drawn to and repelled by for over 20 years, a unique one of a kind cinematic presence who has fascinated and frustrated me, hypnotized me and infuriated me. But no matter what his effect, Nicolas Cage has always been a presence in my life and is someone who I have defended vehemently, sometimes against my better judgment, but has nonetheless given me a series of films that are virtually part of my DNA. Stuff like the razor sharp and unhinged satire Vampire’S Kiss; the beautiful and berserk Lynch masterpiece Wild At Heart; the neo-noir of Red Rock West, the list goes on. Hell, I even loved Ghost Rider…
But the chief reason I’m spilling my guts here, in my Blood Spattered Blog, about my fan relationship with Cage is that I figured,...
But the chief reason I’m spilling my guts here, in my Blood Spattered Blog, about my fan relationship with Cage is that I figured,...
- 3/9/2009
- Fangoria
Nearly three years after principal photography, the Sylvester Stallone thriller "D-Tox" is finally getting a limited release here and on the continent (where it is titled "Eye See You" in some territories). This formulaic chiller will do little to boost Stallone's career. Directed in pedestrian style by Jim Gillespie ("I Know What You Did Last Summer"), the film consists mostly of a hooded killer slaughtering his way through the cast, using guns, knives, drills and nooses in boringly generic style.
Opening scenes are mildly interesting as the film takes on a "Seven" riff where Stallone's heavy-drinking FBI agent Jake Malloy finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse chase for a serial killer who has targeted police officers. Amid a claustrophobic atmosphere, the killer is not only stalking cops but Malloy's loyal girlfriend Mary (Dina Meyer). She barely lasts 10 minutes into the movie before she is nastily killed. The killer is chased and seemingly takes his own life. Malloy then copes with his loss by taking to the bottle at a local cop bar.
Several months later, Malloy is persuaded by his buddy Charlie Charles S. Dutton) to sort out his demons at a detox center in Wyoming set up just for cops. This is a former Cold War command center in the middle of the frozen wilderness run by an ex-cop named Doc (Kris Kristofferson), assistant Hank (Tom Berenger) and resident psychiatrist Jenny Munroe (Polly Walker).
Malloy and nine other cops check their guns at the door and start to wallow in self-pity. But as the blizzard takes over outside -- knocking out power and phone lines and blocking roads -- bodies start to fall inside. Despite the center being populated by cops, only Malloy realizes a killer on the loose. Eventually, that realization extends to the same murderer from his past.
"D-Tox" is essentially a "Scream" rip-off set against the backdrop of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" -- remote building, disparate group and one a killer. Sadly, a trite, shallow script makes little use of a strong cast. Secondary characters are all badly developed -- the cowardly one, the religious one, the gung-ho one, the twitchy one and so on -- while Walker is given little to do apart from functioning as a female in jeopardy.
We never know (or care) what the killer's motivation is. High points come from Dean Semler's atmospheric cinematography and Gary Wissner's stark and frightening bunker sets.
D-TOX
A Universal Pictures presentation
in association with KC Medien and Capella
Producer: Ric Kidney
Director: Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter: Ron L. Brinkerhoff
Based on the book "Jitter Joint" by: Howard Swindle
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Gary Wissner
Editor: Steve Mirkovich
Costume designer: Catherine Adair
Music: John Powell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jake Malloy: Sylvester Stallone
Hank: Tom Berenger
Charlie Hendricks: Charles S. Dutton
Doc: Kris Kristofferson
Jenny Munroe: Polly Walker
Connor: Sean Patrick Flanery
Frank Slater: Christopher Fulford
Mary: Dina Meyer
Pete Noah: Robert Patrick
McKenzie: Robert Prosky
Willie Jones: Courtney B. Vance
Lenny "Smiley" Jaworski: Jeffrey Wright
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Opening scenes are mildly interesting as the film takes on a "Seven" riff where Stallone's heavy-drinking FBI agent Jake Malloy finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse chase for a serial killer who has targeted police officers. Amid a claustrophobic atmosphere, the killer is not only stalking cops but Malloy's loyal girlfriend Mary (Dina Meyer). She barely lasts 10 minutes into the movie before she is nastily killed. The killer is chased and seemingly takes his own life. Malloy then copes with his loss by taking to the bottle at a local cop bar.
Several months later, Malloy is persuaded by his buddy Charlie Charles S. Dutton) to sort out his demons at a detox center in Wyoming set up just for cops. This is a former Cold War command center in the middle of the frozen wilderness run by an ex-cop named Doc (Kris Kristofferson), assistant Hank (Tom Berenger) and resident psychiatrist Jenny Munroe (Polly Walker).
Malloy and nine other cops check their guns at the door and start to wallow in self-pity. But as the blizzard takes over outside -- knocking out power and phone lines and blocking roads -- bodies start to fall inside. Despite the center being populated by cops, only Malloy realizes a killer on the loose. Eventually, that realization extends to the same murderer from his past.
"D-Tox" is essentially a "Scream" rip-off set against the backdrop of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" -- remote building, disparate group and one a killer. Sadly, a trite, shallow script makes little use of a strong cast. Secondary characters are all badly developed -- the cowardly one, the religious one, the gung-ho one, the twitchy one and so on -- while Walker is given little to do apart from functioning as a female in jeopardy.
We never know (or care) what the killer's motivation is. High points come from Dean Semler's atmospheric cinematography and Gary Wissner's stark and frightening bunker sets.
D-TOX
A Universal Pictures presentation
in association with KC Medien and Capella
Producer: Ric Kidney
Director: Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter: Ron L. Brinkerhoff
Based on the book "Jitter Joint" by: Howard Swindle
Director of photography: Dean Semler
Production designer: Gary Wissner
Editor: Steve Mirkovich
Costume designer: Catherine Adair
Music: John Powell
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jake Malloy: Sylvester Stallone
Hank: Tom Berenger
Charlie Hendricks: Charles S. Dutton
Doc: Kris Kristofferson
Jenny Munroe: Polly Walker
Connor: Sean Patrick Flanery
Frank Slater: Christopher Fulford
Mary: Dina Meyer
Pete Noah: Robert Patrick
McKenzie: Robert Prosky
Willie Jones: Courtney B. Vance
Lenny "Smiley" Jaworski: Jeffrey Wright
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Having successfully persuaded horror audiences to "Scream" again, fright scribe Kevin Williamson follows up on that initial promise with "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a good old-fashioned scarefest that relies on smartly constructed suspense, not buckets of gore or CGI overload, to coax viewers to the edge of their seats.
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/10/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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