Seven
Movie Quote Quiz

David Mills: You're no messiah. You're a movie of the week. You're a fucking t-shirt, at best.

John Doe: Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention.

David Mills: I've been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you are, do you know that you're insane? Maybe you're just sitting around, reading "Guns and Ammo", masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, "Wow! It is amazing how fucking crazy I really am!"? Yeah. Do you guys do that?

William Somerset: This guy's methodical, exacting, and worst of all, patient.
David Mills: He's a nut-bag! Just because the fucker's got a library card doesn't make him Yoda!

John Doe: Realize detective, the only reason that I'm here right now is that I wanted to be.
David Mills: No, no, we would have got you eventually.
John Doe: Oh really? So, what were you doing? Biding your time? Toying with me? Allowing five innocent people to die until you felt like springing your trap? Tell me, what was the indisputable evidence you were going to use on me right before I walked up to you and put my hands in the air?

Dr. Beardsley: He's experienced about as much pain and suffering as anyone I've encountered, give or take, and he still has Hell to look forward to.

David Mills: Yeah, a landlord's dream: a paralyzed tenant with no tongue.
William Somerset: Who pays the rent on time.

John Doe: It's more comfortable for you to label me as insane.
David Mills: It's VERY comfortable.

William Somerset: Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the Earth is a fine place and is worth fighting for. I agree with the second part.

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Mistakes

Revealing mistake: Sloth is shown with three "arms." It's most easily noticed after he wakes up. His right arm is bent at the elbow, pointing to the ceiling, his left arm is pressed tightly to his left side between his torso and the jacket used to conceal the upper part of the prosthesis, and his third "arm", the prosthesis, is bent at the elbow, hanging halfway off the bed, and pointing to the left of his body. It has several large, protruding "veins" in it and the stump where the hand should be is off-screen.

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Trivia

Trivia: Kevin Spacey made sure that it was in his contract that his name would not appear in any press releases or reviews, that his photo would never appear in any of the above, he was not to be mentioned in interviews nor was his name to be anywhere in the opening credits. He cites his reason as being that The Usual Suspects and Outbreak were both opening earlier that same year and figured that people would start to recognize his name. And he also figured that if people saw his name in connection with the movie and he didn't appear for the first 2/3 of the movie they would know that he was playing the killer, thus ruining the element of shock and surprise that the moment in the movie has built up to. To compensate, Spacey is listed first in the ending credits.

wolfchild

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Questions

Question: When shaving their chests by the end of the movie, Mills and Somerset are joking and then Mills gets serious, says "You know...?" and then stops. What do you think he was going to say? Maybe he was going to be nice to Somerset, but then refrained himself?

xerop

Answer: I've seen se7en hundreds of times, and I've always wondered what Mills was trying to say to Somerset, and here's my take. If you've noticed, the recurring theme between the two was their conflicting views on how they see the world around them. Somerset is the grizzled, experienced detective who has been through the ringer, so he's views are more pessimistic in nature. Which I can sympathize with. Mills being the rookie detective that he is, was the optimistic, "I'll be the hero" kind of guy. So much so that Somerset called him out for being too Naive, and that he can't be like that. So getting back to the question at hand. During the chest shaving scene, I believe Mills was about to tell Somerset that his dark pessimistic view of the world around them makes sense. Mills wanted to say that Somerset was right, which he wasn't able to bring himself to do.

Answer: I've always wondered this question as well. I think he was gonna say something along the line of "you know I haven't talked to my wife all day And that's very weird." Especially since Somerset just said be prepared for anything while transporting Doe. Speculation at best though.

When Mills and Somerset enter the station building just before John Doe gives himself up the female desk sergeant tells Mills his wife had phoned this puts Mills' wife into the mind of the viewer. When Mills says to Somerset during the chest shaving scene 'if I keep coming home late my wifes gonna think something up' is placing Traci again in the mind of the viewer. Then Mills says 'You know?' prompts the question what has happened to Traci.

Answer: Since he stands for wrath in the plot, in the said scene he was probably going to acknowledge his short-tempered nature. He doesn't and therefore he looses a chance of confession. What say?

Could be right. He certainly has explosive episodes of anger throughout the film. He may, just for an instant believe himself to be wrath. I think he ignores the thought because he is always optimistic, caring and believes in good. Therefore, due to these virtues he cannot be wrath. Somerset, the calmer, more laid back character is the pessimist who sees evil everywhere. One would think he would be angry at the world. Maybe he was like Mills when he was younger.

Answer: I've also seen Seven hundreds of times. I've spent hours breaking down each and every scene inside my own head and I still have a hard time fathoming how insanely perfect the relationship Andrew Kevin Walker created between Mills and Somerset. Somerset's ability to pick up on the smallest comments Mills makes helps reinvigorate his passion for being a detective at a point in his career where he has all but given up hope for the world around him. Mills shows moments of vulnerability many times during the film but maybe not more so than the chest shaving scene. Personally I don't think his statement of "you know?" has any literal reference to anything physically happening in the story. I think he's merely gathering the courage to thank Somerset for his help, guidance and mentorship over the course of the past Seven days. I think he stops because he feels simply saying "thank you" will make him appear weak in front of a man he's no yet ready to open up to.

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