Open Seven from Stephen Adams on Vimeo.
In this essay I am going to analyse the opening of the thriller Se7en.
The setting and iconography of the thriller Se7en, the first scene is set in the morning this is to denote that it is the beginning of a normal day in the life of our “hero”. It shows Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) in his home. The room is coloured with a soft blue, which connotes calmness and implies Somerset’s character to be a calm, collected one. The scene entails Somerset preparing for a day at work, and has a medium shot of his table with some of his possessions neatly laid out on it. The first piece of equipment he has is a badge, which shows imply that he is a member of law enforcement. In addition to this he has a pen which suggests that unlike a usual or stereotypical policeman or detective he is more likely to use his knowledge and intellect as opposed to force or violence. Lastly, he has a pen knife which shows that he is likely to take a more light-fingered approach to situations, but also perhaps an old-fashioned one as use of pen knives is not as widespread as it was in the past. Other aspects of Somerset’s house seem to connote a more old-fashioned style of life. For example, the technology we see in the house is very limited, even for 1995. We see lamps and lights, but we don’t see televisions, radios, or other luxuries which were common in 90’s American households. This suggests that Somerset is not a man of amenities, or leads a particularly luxurious or wealthy life. It also suggests that he may not have much of a life outside of his job, as the metronome is the only item we see in his house that isn’t part of his work. The sound in this scene reinforces these ideas. Particularly the sound of sirens in the distance, this signifies crime.
In the next scene the lighting is low key high contrast chiaroscuro, and is set in a dark, squalid house. We are also shown and told about blood being splattered “up the walls”, informing the viewer immediately that the dead man they saw in a medium-long shot was murdered. When both detectives leave the crime scene the viewer immediately notices the extremely rainy weather, which is a use of pathetic fallacy to give the conversation and the situation a negative and gloomy feeling. The streets seem to be in a poorer area of a city, and a lot of the windows have bars on them. Not only does this again show that the area where the detectives are working is not a pleasant place and has high crime, but the bars could also be a metaphor for the situation the pair of detectives are about to be trapped in as the film goes on. The idea of the city being a generally unpleasant place is reinforced by Somerset’s dialogue in this scene, where he dismisses detective Mills saying he has worked in homicide by saying that he “hasn’t worked here” and therefore may not necessarily be qualified.
In the final scene we are again shown detective Somerset’s home where he begins to get ready for bed. As he does this the room itself is peaceful, however in the background diegetic noises such as dogs barking and sirens are heard, showing that although he has done his best to make his surroundings tranquil, he cannot change the fact that he is close to the unpleasant area where he lives.
The opening of Se7en represents the two characters as not only being in law enforcement, but as being committed to their jobs. For example with Somerset’s home being so work-oriented, and the fact that Mills moved to the city with worse crime of his own volition. However, we see differences between the two characters, particularly in their approaches. Detective Somerset is a man who is shown to have a more careful approach to investigations, asking questions which seem to his colleagues as being irrelevant. This idea is also given with the view of his tools in his house, where we are shown his pen instead of say, a gun. Detective Mills is represented in a much more eager and energetic way. In the conversation he is also very eager and the fact that he chose to move to a harder place to work represents him as a character willing to challenge him. For example, when he enters the crime scene he jogs up the stairs and walks quickly into the apartment. This contrasts to Somerset’s measured and cautious approach. The dress codes of the characters are also contrasted. Mills is wearing a leather jacket over his traditional white shirt and tie, which is a change from the suit which you would expect a detective to wear. However, this is a convention Somerset follows; giving the impression that Somerset is likely to be a more experienced and perhaps aged character. The other characters in the opening have are not named, largely showing their irrelevance to the story as a whole; however the interaction between Somerset and the unnamed detective is an important one as it demonstrates Somerset’s methods being different to his colleagues. The other character we are shown, besides the dead body, is the murderer during the opening credits. We are shown only his hands, which are bandaged on the fingertips. This is a result of him cutting his fingertips off to stop himself being traced, immediately portraying him as a character with something to hide. He is also portrayed as a mysterious man with some kind of interest in religion, as we see him cutting various pieces of paper, including the word “God” out of a piece of American money. The non-diegetic soundtrack to accompany this scene is “Closer” by Nine-inch Nails, a song with screeching, industrial sounds which also mentions God, finalising with the viewer the knowledge that religious ideas will play a part in the film.
