First off, I KNOW that I'm gonna get grief and derision from most here because, I'm sorry, but I don't really think this film is the be all, end all that everyone thinks it is.
YES, it is well made, directed, and acted; and the lighting is sharp which fits the nihilistic 'Noir'ish mood. And, yes, it was indeed pretty much the first of it's kind which set a gritty, dark tone for crime films to come. Fine... I really have no specific negatives about the movie. HOWEVER... At the end of the day did I personally really find it THAT entertaining...? Not really... Yes, the unexpected ending is both shocking and dramatic, but does it honestly make sense...? ***SPOILERS Keven Spacey clearly and explicitly states the reasons why he has committed these murders: That people are doing all these very bad things everywhere all the time and people just don't care; so, he is setting 'the example' of what people should be doing to punish these 'sinners'. Okay... Now we are supposed to believe then that out of the blue he kills a COMPLETELY innocent woman (who is also pregnant) which to me the SOLE purpose is for an (admittedly extremely dramatic and shocking) plot device to set up Mills to kill him...??? Come on... I don't buy it. It is TOTALLY contrary to the very motivation of Kevin Spacey's character. But yeah, what an ending, sure... *** END SPOILERS
Anyway, the question is, what do we find truly entertaining about a film? Putting stylistic touches or technical competence aside (such as visual effects, special or moody lighting, excellent cinematography, sound design, etc.) to me it primarily is this: How engaging or absorbing is the plot or story? How does it carry us along as it develops? How involving and complex are the characters and how interesting is the interplay and relationships between them? Now, these are just basics for most films. I realize that there are special genres or styles that we enjoy individually simply because we like those types of films (1950's Sci Fi, Slasher Horror Films, Ultra-Cheeeeezy Kung Fu movies, etc.) But, with this film at the end of the day what do we have...? Sure, we have this ghoulish, creepy, dark story of a killer who is killing by way of the 7 Deadly Sins. Okay... Characters...? Well, yes, all the actors concerned do a fine job; no real complaints there. BUT...! How deep or complex are they? How fascinating are they really? How engaging and intriguing are their interactions? To me personally, I felt that both the plot and character development to be rather shallow and superficial. I mean, WHAT do we really know about them? How deeply are we drawn into their lives and relationships? I'm sorry, but to me I really don't see a whole hell of a lot going on here other than a bunch of neatly lit, dark and somewhat moody scenes with little or no real substance. And the overall 'message' we are left with? The quite trite, common, and ultimately boring 'No one cares because the evil that people do is so arbitrary and horrible, so what's the point?' Yeah, real depth there...
So, yeah, the film is well put together and there's nothing really 'BAD' about it per se; but, I do not feel myself that after all is said and done that you walk away from it with much of anything. There are darker and FAR more entertaining Horror films out there; and there are also dark, gritty, and INFINITELY more complex and engaging crime films out there. Films where afterward you actually feel like you have either been truly entertained by a story that makes you think and guess and wonder and also with characters who make you feel and care MUCH more about them because they are portrayed in a better, fuller, and more complex way.
So, do I like dark, ambiguous, moody films? YOU BET! Do I like the dark, even nihilistic overtones of period FILM NOIR? ABSOLUTELY! Do I even like films with little substance BUT have TONS of style and mood (a la David Lynch, say) YES SIREE!!! But to me, this film, although of good quality, honestly strikes me as a 'One-Note' simplistic film and I just do NOT quite buy into the ending at all; it is merely a completely nonsensical plot device to give us a slam-bang ending.
I mean, just a random example that comes to mind, I've seen Sandra Bullock's crime film 'MURDER BY NUMBERS' like 3 times and I've fully enjoyed it each time. You have a main character that is extremely complex and engaging; you have antagonists that are thoroughly riveting and with a layered relationship that is completely fascinating. And, you have a story that as it unreels truly draws you into the psyche, feelings, and motivations of the characters. And this is just an off the top, fairly above average example; nothing Earth shaking or anything, but just a simple example of what a movie is SUPPOSED to be. Entertaining...
But, I will say this though... It has to have probably THE best opening credit sequence and background song ever!!!
For this film though, I seriously doubt that I would ever really have the desire to sit down and watch it again...
*** EDIT (2015.02.14)
Heh, I'm actually thinking about giving this another chance and watching it again... :) I'm curious if my impressions will still be the same...
YES, it is well made, directed, and acted; and the lighting is sharp which fits the nihilistic 'Noir'ish mood. And, yes, it was indeed pretty much the first of it's kind which set a gritty, dark tone for crime films to come. Fine... I really have no specific negatives about the movie. HOWEVER... At the end of the day did I personally really find it THAT entertaining...? Not really... Yes, the unexpected ending is both shocking and dramatic, but does it honestly make sense...? ***SPOILERS Keven Spacey clearly and explicitly states the reasons why he has committed these murders: That people are doing all these very bad things everywhere all the time and people just don't care; so, he is setting 'the example' of what people should be doing to punish these 'sinners'. Okay... Now we are supposed to believe then that out of the blue he kills a COMPLETELY innocent woman (who is also pregnant) which to me the SOLE purpose is for an (admittedly extremely dramatic and shocking) plot device to set up Mills to kill him...??? Come on... I don't buy it. It is TOTALLY contrary to the very motivation of Kevin Spacey's character. But yeah, what an ending, sure... *** END SPOILERS
Anyway, the question is, what do we find truly entertaining about a film? Putting stylistic touches or technical competence aside (such as visual effects, special or moody lighting, excellent cinematography, sound design, etc.) to me it primarily is this: How engaging or absorbing is the plot or story? How does it carry us along as it develops? How involving and complex are the characters and how interesting is the interplay and relationships between them? Now, these are just basics for most films. I realize that there are special genres or styles that we enjoy individually simply because we like those types of films (1950's Sci Fi, Slasher Horror Films, Ultra-Cheeeeezy Kung Fu movies, etc.) But, with this film at the end of the day what do we have...? Sure, we have this ghoulish, creepy, dark story of a killer who is killing by way of the 7 Deadly Sins. Okay... Characters...? Well, yes, all the actors concerned do a fine job; no real complaints there. BUT...! How deep or complex are they? How fascinating are they really? How engaging and intriguing are their interactions? To me personally, I felt that both the plot and character development to be rather shallow and superficial. I mean, WHAT do we really know about them? How deeply are we drawn into their lives and relationships? I'm sorry, but to me I really don't see a whole hell of a lot going on here other than a bunch of neatly lit, dark and somewhat moody scenes with little or no real substance. And the overall 'message' we are left with? The quite trite, common, and ultimately boring 'No one cares because the evil that people do is so arbitrary and horrible, so what's the point?' Yeah, real depth there...
So, yeah, the film is well put together and there's nothing really 'BAD' about it per se; but, I do not feel myself that after all is said and done that you walk away from it with much of anything. There are darker and FAR more entertaining Horror films out there; and there are also dark, gritty, and INFINITELY more complex and engaging crime films out there. Films where afterward you actually feel like you have either been truly entertained by a story that makes you think and guess and wonder and also with characters who make you feel and care MUCH more about them because they are portrayed in a better, fuller, and more complex way.
So, do I like dark, ambiguous, moody films? YOU BET! Do I like the dark, even nihilistic overtones of period FILM NOIR? ABSOLUTELY! Do I even like films with little substance BUT have TONS of style and mood (a la David Lynch, say) YES SIREE!!! But to me, this film, although of good quality, honestly strikes me as a 'One-Note' simplistic film and I just do NOT quite buy into the ending at all; it is merely a completely nonsensical plot device to give us a slam-bang ending.
I mean, just a random example that comes to mind, I've seen Sandra Bullock's crime film 'MURDER BY NUMBERS' like 3 times and I've fully enjoyed it each time. You have a main character that is extremely complex and engaging; you have antagonists that are thoroughly riveting and with a layered relationship that is completely fascinating. And, you have a story that as it unreels truly draws you into the psyche, feelings, and motivations of the characters. And this is just an off the top, fairly above average example; nothing Earth shaking or anything, but just a simple example of what a movie is SUPPOSED to be. Entertaining...
But, I will say this though... It has to have probably THE best opening credit sequence and background song ever!!!
For this film though, I seriously doubt that I would ever really have the desire to sit down and watch it again...
*** EDIT (2015.02.14)
Heh, I'm actually thinking about giving this another chance and watching it again... :) I'm curious if my impressions will still be the same...