David Fincher’s Se7en, if seen from a contemporary lens, stands not solely as a defining work within the director’s profession however as some of the enduring American thrillers ever made. Whereas Fincher, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and even Kevin Spacey are likely to steal a lot of the highlight in public reminiscence, the movie owes its whole existence to the quiet brilliance of Andrew Kevin Walker. His identify might not echo as loudly as the celebs, however with out him, none of it will’ve existed.
Andrew Kevin Walker: A Profession Hinged On One Script
Walker had no vital credit to his identify again within the early ’90s. Se7en was his huge leap, a script written out of frustration throughout his time in New York and crafted with a uncooked edge that sliced by means of the standard Hollywood method.
It wasn’t lengthy after that he ended up penning Sleepy Hole for Tim Burton and fine-tuning the likes of The Sport and Struggle Membership behind the scenes. Years later, he’d even return to work with Fincher on The Killer, tailored from a French graphic novel, with a launch set for late 2023.
However none of these later successes would’ve mattered if Se7en didn’t make the influence it did. Had that movie stumbled, there’s likelihood Fincher wouldn’t have revisited Walker’s scripts, and the chain response of career-defining movies may’ve ended proper there. As a substitute, the film detonated throughout popular culture, dragging noir again into the mainstream with blood-stained gloves.
The Darkish Premise Of Se7en
Se7en’s premise was sharp and cruel. A methodical serial killer, John Doe, crafts every homicide round one of many Seven Lethal Sins, forsaking grotesque tableaus and cryptic messages in blood. Detectives Mills and Somerset navigate this grim puzzle, coupling Pitt’s impulsive power clashing with Freeman’s calm. Kevin Spacey, showing deep into the movie, delivered a efficiency that also echoes by means of crime cinema. One physique after one other, the sample tightens till a finale that’s now legendary.
Nonetheless, that ending nearly didn’t occur.
New Line’s Chilly Toes
In keeping with Movieweb, New Line Cinema noticed it in another way. They believed the unique remaining act was an excessive amount of and too grim for a mainstream launch. Subsequently, heads rolled behind the scenes, making an attempt to melt the blow. A sequence of rewrites adopted, eradicating the notorious field scene and reshaping the ending fully. The plan was to ship a cleaned-up model to Fincher. However in a lucky accident, the unique draft discovered its technique to him as a substitute.
Fincher learn it and determined it was the one model value filming. The notorious plot twist, the one involving Mills’s spouse and a cardboard field, was the climax that gave the movie its enamel. It was the second that elevated Se7en from a wise thriller to one thing unforgettable.
Pitt, being the sensible, clever actor that he’s, agreed, and he solely signed on with the situation that the unique ending stayed, together with Mills’s remaining, irreversible choice to kill Doe. The studio tried to push again, however Fincher and Pitt refused to bend.
The Variations That By no means Occurred
Alternate variations floated round throughout growth. One thought swapped out the pinnacle for a hostage situation, with Somerset and Mills racing to rescue Tracy. One other had Somerset pulling the set off as a substitute, denying Doe the twisted satisfaction of ending his plan. Even a model the place Mills finds his canine’s head as a substitute of his spouse’s was thought-about. However none of them held the identical brutal readability, and fact be advised, none matched the burden of the unique conclusion.
If Fincher hadn’t gotten that improper script by chance, if Pitt hadn’t backed it up, the movie would’ve been neutered. It would nonetheless be talked about, however not celebrated, and truthfully, Se7en wanted that ending to develop into what it did.
Ultimately, the studio backed down. The movie hit theaters with its razor-sharp enamel intact. Quick-forward to nearly three a long time since its launch, Se7en hasn’t dulled as it’s nonetheless held up as a pillar of the thriller style.
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