Overview: Two cops (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) track a brilliant and elusive killer who orchestrates a string of horrific murders, each kill targeting a practitioner of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Gwyneth Paltrow also stars in this acclaimed thriller set in a dour, drizzly city sick with pain and blight.

David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) guides the action – physical, mental and spiritual – with a sure understanding of what terrifies us, right up to a stunning denouement that will rip the scar tissue off the most hardened soul.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: Simply put, Se7en is a nerve-jangling thriller, hauntingly shot by visionary director David Fincher, who crafts one of the most iconic films of all time.

Warner Bros. Entertainment is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated Se7en (4K Ultra HD + Digital) in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this January 7th, 2025.

For my money, this Se7en (4K Ultra HD + Digital) sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is Se7en presented to us as a one-disc with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (70.35 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p), HDR: HDR10, Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 and Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable. For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision, we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color, which makes the eyes draw in, for sure.

To pick one is hard as this is a flawless crime masterpiece, chock full of many a thrilling sequence. The revelatory chase through the crummy apartment complex, the cross-cutting police interrogation of the sleazy porn dungeon owner and its remarkably disturbed client, the discovery of what hundreds of air fresheners are concealing, the “WHAT WAS IN THE BOX WHAT WAS IN THE BOOOX?!”, the reveal of John Doe and his bloodied fingers, and on and on.

But, for me, the film produces no better, more effective thrill than when Detectives David Mills (Brad Pitt) and William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) discover the clue hidden behind Doe’s GREED killing. “Clue” may not be accurate. More like tease, or ultimate f**k with. A brilliant, Hey, I’m smarter than you, catch me if you can!

After Somerset convinces Mills and their superior that they have a nutjob killing people according to the seven deadly sins, Mills hesitantly embraces Somerset’s intellect by inviting him to help solve the case. Several thoroughly detailed, and wholly essential sequences take place (because really, there’s nothing shown in Se7en that isn’t necessary for something later in the film), before Somerset and Mills realize that something is off about the GREED murder, in which a crooked lawyer was stabbed to death in his fancy office.

The detectives eventually show the lawyer’s grieving wife photos from the crime scene (in which the gory details of her husband’s newly deceased body are amusingly covered in Post-It notes), and she soon spots an abstract painting on the wall hanging upside down. Mills and Somerset go to the lawyer’s office and take the painting off the wall. Nothing. They set it on the ground and examine the back of the artwork. Nothing.

Somerset removes the brown paper from the back of the painting. Nothing. “There, must, be, something,” Somerset quietly mummers. Mills makes jokes of frustration, angered by the killer’s obvious enjoyment. Somerset jumps on the table below where the painting hung, he gets out a pocket-sized fingerprint kit, and then it all clicks.

We brilliantly, historically, exceptionally jump cut from Freeman’s inquisitive face to the same wall in extreme close-up, brightened by neon blue lights. A lab tech blows white powder away with a can of air. “Oh…man,” the tech says.

We cut to Pitt and Freeman, who are staring at the wall from a few feet away. Pitt turns away, framing the shot in a Persona-esque two-shot. And then we’re privy to the very best line deliveries of both Pitt and Freeman’s careers.

“Honestly,” Pitt whispers, “Have you ever seen anything like this?” The camera pulls focus to Freeman, and after the briefest of moments, Freeman offers a stunning, “No.”

Pitt looks back at the wall, and all is revealed – HELP ME has been crudely written with fingerprints (which aren’t even the lawyer’s, but I’m getting ahead of the overall review).

As for the audio, well we get a smorgasbord of choice of: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), French (Canada): Dolby Digital 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps), Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps), Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0 and Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

OK, back onto the movie, and Se7en tells the tale of a grisly serial killer who is twisted on delivering a sermon against modern depravity. He murders his victims to atone for the sins he deems them to have committed; his crimes echo the seven deadly sins namely gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, pride, wrath and lust.

Tracking this gruesome killer (played with a quiet insanity that makes your flesh crawl, by an actor par excellence – no spoilers here!) is a cliché pair of cops. There’s the jaded veteran Detective Lieutenant Somerset (Morgan Freeman who brings great depth and dignity to the part) who is in the last week of his employ with the police department.

Partnering him is a young, eager-to-kick-some-evil-butt cop Detective Mills (Brad Pitt whose callowness works perfectly for his character). After killing an overweight man by force-feeding him to death in the name of gluttony and bleeding to death a lawyer for greed, the anonymous killer is now turning his attention to the five remaining deadly sins. As the two men investigate, the gulf between their respective world-views begins to inform everything about how they respond to the savagery of these crimes.

It is impossible to deny the potency and artistry with which Fincher executes the material. Although very little of each murder is shown, the director expertly allows suggestion to lead the appalled viewer towards the truly cataclysmic climax. Fincher’s sepia-toned gloom successfully lends the film the knock-out punch it intends to. Purposely draining his landscapes of color, and setting all the tense action against rain-washed streets and under-lit interiors, Fincher evokes an atmosphere of nightmarish proportions as he unfolds a gripping tale of urban horror.

Se7en is riveting in a gut-twisting way. It plays out at an engaging pace destined to entrance you with its abject horror. The film is as dark and brutal as a film can be, without showing much actual violence. Most of the stuff in the film is implied, but it’s so damn disturbing that you feel like you actually saw it. And that is the beauty of Se7en!

Se7en Digital release and Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contain the following previously released special features:
Commentaries:
The Stars: David Fincher, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
The Story: Richard Dyer, Andrew Kevin Walker, Richard Francis-Bruce, Michael De Luca, David Fincher
The Picture: Darius Khondji, Arthur Max, Richard Francis-Bruce, Richard Dyer, David Fincher
The Sound: Ren Klyce, Howard Shore, Richard Dyer, David Fincher

Deleted Scenes:
Car Ride in from Gluttony
My Future
Raid on Victor’s
Spare Some Change?
Tracy Wakes from Light Sleep
Pride

Alternate endings:
Animated storyboards of un-shot ending
Original “Test” ending

Still Photographs (featurettes):
John Doe’s Photographs
Victor’s Decomposition
Police Crime Scene Photographs
Production Photographs
The Notebooks
Production Design (featurette)
Mastering for the Home Theater (featurette)
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Early Storyboards (featurette)
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Rough Version (featurette)
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Final Edit (featurette)
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary One – The Concept – Designer Kyle Cooper (featurette)
Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence: Stereo Audio Commentary Two – The Sound – Brant Biles & Robert Margouleff (featurette)
Theatrical EPK

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the psychological thriller Se7en from New Line Cinema and acclaimed director David Fincher, the 1995 film will be available for purchase Digitally in 4K Ultra HD and on 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc on January 7th, 2025.

Se7en received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing (Richard Francis-Bruce) at the 68th Academy Awards. The film was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay (Andrew Kevin Walker) at the 49th British Academy Film Awards.

The 4K restoration of Se7en was completed at Warner Bros. Discovery’s Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) and was sourced from the original camera negative. The restoration was overseen by director David Fincher.