Se7en poster

Se7en

1995127 minutesR
6.3
Arcplot Score
📊 Solid
Unverified
⭐ 8.6IMDb
🍅 84%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 65/100Metacritic
🎬 8.4TMDb
📊 14.6Popularity
🏆Nominated for 1 Oscar. 29 wins & 44 nominations total
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Directed by: David Fincher
A film about two homicide detectives' (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic "John Doe" (Kevin Spacey) sermonizes to Detectives Somerset and Mills -- one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderer's terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured but jaded Somerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killer's modus operandi while the bright but green and impulsive Detective Mills (Pitt) scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer...

Box Office

Budget:$33.0M
Revenue:$327.3M
Profit:$294.3M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision3.9/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency5/10
Overall Score6.3/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Se7en Arcplot
1
Opening Image
1 min
2
Theme Stated
6 min
3
Set-Up
15 min
4
Catalyst
28 min
5
Debate
38 min
6
Break Into Two
50 min
7
B Story
60 min
8
Fun and Games
75 min
9
Midpoint
95 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
110 min
11
All Is Lost
120 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
123 min
13
Break Into Three
125 min
14
Finale
126 min
15
Final Image
127 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

1 min

Rainy, oppressive city. Detective Somerset introduced. Dark, bleak atmosphere. Tone of dread established.

#2

Theme Stated

6 min

Somerset: "This city eats people alive." Theme of human depravity and moral decay.

#3

Set-Up

15 min

Detective Mills joins Somerset. Introduction to serial killer case. Victims found representing seven deadly sins. Tension, horror, and detective procedural established.

#4

Catalyst

28 min

First murder scene discovery. Shock and horror for detectives. Stakes immediately high.

#5

Debate

38 min

Mills struggles with personal life and morality. Should they pursue justice or avoid obsession? Killer remains unseen, building fear.

#6

Break Into Two

50 min

Investigation deepens. Each murder more grotesque. Detectives confront darkness personally. Crossing into abyss.

#7

B Story

60 min

Mills’ marriage introduced. Emotional stakes for protagonist. Domestic life vs. violent world tension.

#8

Fun and Games

75 min

Following clues, interrogations, and investigation. Detective work intensified.

#9

Midpoint

95 min

Discovery of major clue linking murders. False victory: think they can control outcome.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

110 min

Killer manipulates detectives. Tension, fear, and despair mount.

#11

All Is Lost

120 min

Killer lures Mills into trap. Everything collapses.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

123 min

Mills processes horror, moral outrage, helplessness.

#13

Break Into Three

125 min

Mills must choose to confront killer or surrender. Personal catharsis emerging.

#14

Finale

126 min

Confrontation at delivery site. Truth revealed. Mills reacts emotionally.

#15

Final Image

127 min

Mills alone, changed forever. City still dark. Cycle continues. Complete psychological closure.