FAQ for
Se7en (1995) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Se7en can be found here.

No. Se7en is based on a script by American screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. However, the movie was subsequently novelized by Anthony Bruno and published in 1995.

Two detectives, William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) search for a serial killer who bases each kill on one of the seven deadly sins.

They are the most deadly vices, according to Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century. In the order of severity used by Pope Gregory, they are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. Lust may be specifically seen as excessive thoughts or desires of a sexual nature, which can manifest as sexual addiction, fornication, adultery, bestiality, rape, perversion, and incest. Gluttony is over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. Greed (avarice) is the seeking of material gain over spiritual gain. Sloth does not refer to laziness, but to indifference, of an unwillingness to act, an unwillingness to care. Wrath/rage is inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. Envy is jealousy. Pride is seen as the most serious sin, from which all others arise; a love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbour. There are also Seven Holy Virtues which directly contradict each of the Sins. In parallel order to the sins they oppose, the Seven Holy Virtues are Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.

The "Gluttony" victim (Bob Mack) was an unnamed obese man who was forced to eat until his stomach bursts, killing him. The "Greed" victim was Eli Gould (Gene Borkan), a wealthy lawyer. He was purposely bled to death. The "Sloth" victim was Victor (Michael Reid MacKay), a notorious paedophile. He was tied to his bed for an entire year, kept at the brink of survival only through the judicious usage of intravenous drugs and medications, the experience of which causes him untold physical anguish and renders him completely insane. He later dies in a local hospital. Incidentally, he once escaped conviction for raping a minor due to the successful efforts of his lawyer, Eli Gould. The "Lust" victim was a prostitute (Cat Mueller) who was raped and killed by a man forced at gunpoint to use a strap-on dildo with blade attachment. The "Pride" victim was a model (Heidi Schanz) whose nose was cut off, disfiguring her. She was provided with a telephone to call an ambulance, hence living life disfigured and scarred, and sleeping pills to commit suicide and escape the life of disfigurement. She ostensibly chooses the latter option. Envy and wrath are not revealed until the very end of the movie. The "Envy" victim is John Doe. He wanted a normal family life like Mills had; when Tracy Mills refused to go along with him he killed her. Detective Mills is "Wrath"; when John Doe reveals what he has done to Tracy, Mills becomes enraged and shoots John Doe.

The location is purposely not revealed. It's a fictional city of constant rain and urban decay that mirrors the general tone of the film. In an interview with Cinefantastique magazine, however, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker stated that the primary influence for the film's screenplay came from his time spent in New York City while trying to make it as a screenwriter. "I didn't like my time in New York," he admitted, "but it's true that if I hadn't lived there I probably wouldn't have written Seven." Consequently, it seems fair to presume they live in NYC, as Tracy Mills (Gwyneth Paltrow) mentions to Somerset that she and David had lived "upstate", and few other metropolitan areas speak of "upstate" in the same manner as New York. Also, when Mills and Somerset are in a diner, you can see an advertisement for "New York Pizza."

John Doe (Kevin Spacey) didn't know beforehand. He went to her apartment looking to kill her, but she begged and pleaded for him to spare her and her baby. Tracy herself is the one who told him that she was pregnant.

It was Tracy's head. John Doe kills her, fulfilling the sin of ENVY because he envied Det. Mills' "simple" life He hoped that in turn Mills would then kill him, fulfilling the final sin, WRATH (which also makes sure John is punished by death for his sin). Mills is technically not punished by death for his sin, but he is obviously left a broken man (which is probably the life he is 'allowed to live', to which John Doe was referring in the car).

John Doe leads Mills and Somerset out into the middle of nowhere, assuring them that they will be impressed by what they find. Along the way, John defends his actions by saying that he was chosen to turn each sin against the sinner. Mills taunts him by saying that he has delusions of grandeur, but Somerset says very little. Eventually, John announces that they have reached the spot, and the car pulls over near some high-tension electrical wires. They walk back along the road for a few yards until Somerset notices a white van approaching them. While Mills holds John at gunpoint, Somerset meets the van. The driver claims that he was just delivering a package for Detective David Mills. Somerset opens the package and steps back in horror. Meanwhile, John is telling Mills how much he admires him and envies the life he has made for himself, so much that he went to Mills' home that morning and tried to play husband with Tracy. But Tracy wouldn't play along, so he took a souvenir -- Tracy's head. John further explains how Tracy begged for her life and the life of the child inside her then realizes that Mills didn't even know she was pregnant. Somerset tries to get Mills to hand over his gun, but Mills goes crazy and shoots John six times. In the final scene, Mills is seated in the back seat of a squad car. As the car drives away, Somerset says in a voiceover, "Ernest Hemingway once wrote, 'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."