I liked the last half of the movie Se7en, with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Got in at the chase scene in the middle, when the cops find John Doe. Wow, so well done. Lots more great scenes. Great atmosphere. Such good writing, directing, acting, filming.
But the ending was a terrible let-down, for me. It didn't really make sense, thematically. The whole story is a chase after the truth, after the bad guy. So they finally get the truth and get him, but he is ultimately a cliché. And then the good guy suffers.
I went back and watched the first half again, and it sucked.
(SPOILER ALERT)
The bad guy is self-righteously killing people who commit the seven deadly sins. Ho-hum. Snore. And then, he kills the detective's pregnant wife? Oh, please. Barf! Are we supposed to leave the theater sick at our stomachs? Not my idea of fun. Couldn't they make it more fun?
I hate to admit it, but I wanted a happy ending. Or at least an ending that re-affirms our social values, that the bad guys get what they deserve in the end. That is why crime fiction exists, in my opinion.
But the ending was a terrible let-down, for me. It didn't really make sense, thematically. The whole story is a chase after the truth, after the bad guy. So they finally get the truth and get him, but he is ultimately a cliché. And then the good guy suffers.
I went back and watched the first half again, and it sucked.
(SPOILER ALERT)
The bad guy is self-righteously killing people who commit the seven deadly sins. Ho-hum. Snore. And then, he kills the detective's pregnant wife? Oh, please. Barf! Are we supposed to leave the theater sick at our stomachs? Not my idea of fun. Couldn't they make it more fun?
I hate to admit it, but I wanted a happy ending. Or at least an ending that re-affirms our social values, that the bad guys get what they deserve in the end. That is why crime fiction exists, in my opinion.