Seven is one of the best told crime/detective thrillers of all time. It delves into a unique buddy cop dynamic, well thought out crime sets, a creative villain and great world. Seven has themes that delve deep into human behaviour and how bad society can become.

A detective new to the police force and a detective who has been involved in the business for years are partnered together for one last crime. The veteran detective William Somerset realises that this crime was not a one off and continues to work with the David Mills the other detective to solve the case. Each crime committed is somehow related to the seven deadly sins. Each crime is not like murders you see in other mystery movies, but are instead inventive and create tension because you don't know when the killer will strike next. The unnamed city itself is a perfect set up for crimes like these. The city is an unredeemable mess of crime, homelessness and sins. At the end, the motives of the killer are revealed and you understand why he committed the terrible crimes that he did. If I revealed them here it would spoil the entire point of the film. The ending was satisfying leaving a thought provoking message among the fictional citizens of the city and viewers.

The lighting causes the dimly lit city to feel like a bleak and dark place to be. The cinematography, mainly in the scenes before you see the crime committed is always suspenseful. The special effects for the crimes are believable and completely disturbing, but the ending makes sense of why the crimes are so brutal. The side stories, such as William Somerset having a friendship with David Mills' wife and giving her advice about the city and what should she should consider doing, are all well-told. The film is well paced and adds to suspense. There are even some parts of the movie that feel like plot holes, but these parts are mostly explained in the ending. The only other aspect they could have focussed on was some of the seven deadly sin crimes that only had a few seconds on screen.

Seven tells one of the most compelling mysteries and detective stories in cinema. The unique twist on the seven deadly sins and crimes related to it makes the movie compelling to watch. It has a satisfying, but emotional ending that is thought provoking.
Seven does not commit any major cinema sins.