Case File 021: John Doe (Se7en)

October 07, 2020 / Christopher Schrader

We're back for a new round of investigations and to kick things off, we're opening up a case file on John Doe from Se7en.

The premise of a serial killer whose crimes are patterned after the seven deadly sins is so simple and so good that it's a little surprising it didn't already exist before 1995, but that wasn't the only trail director David Fincher blazed with this incendiary thriller.

Se7en's grimy, neo-noir aesthetic inspired a slew of knock-offs, but most of those imitators focused exclusively on the more superficial elements and completely missed what makes this film so effective. Even 25 years later, it remains an intensely visceral experience.

Topics include: how Fincher's experience making Alien 3 helped transform him into the auteur he's regarded as today, the numerous battles over Se7en's controversial ending, a refutation of the suggestion that this was a precursor to "torture porn", the largely forgotten Anthony Hopkins movie that was almost a sequel to this, the comic book prequel that delves further into Doe's origin, your answers for Ultimate Match Up, and more!

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