Neo Noir of the 90's: Vol. 2

From the Greek “neo” for new and the French “noir” for black, Neo Noir is a term used in film and literature. It refers to a genre that primarily uses elements of the film noir movement of the 40’s and 50’s with modern spin on style, themes and sometimes content.

Vol. 2 – Se7en (1995) – This is a film following two detectives desperate to find a serial killer inspired by the biblical 7 deadliest sins.   Brad Pitt plays the role of Detective Mills, the young ambitious cop excited to be on his first murder case. Morgan Freeman is Detective Sommerset, the jaded and broke-down investigator, counting his days to retirement. We follow these two through the investigation, discovering the remains of the killer’s victims one at a time until the climactic confrontation reveals the just how much control the killer really has.

I think this is one of those movies that most people have seen but I’m not sure if it’s properly appreciated. It actually suffers a bit from overexposure. I’d be willing to bet that if you asked most people, the last time they’ve watched this film was on cable some Saturday afternoon and it was edited for content and chopped up between commercial breaks. I’ve seen it that way a few times too. This is what made me want to revisit it. I really wasn’t sure if it still held up. So this time, it was by myself, in the dark on DVD. I almost had to turn it off before the end. I found myself dreading the end that I knew was forthcoming. I think this speaks volumes of a film that can elicit that type of trepidation and anxiety. 

As far as neo noir goes, this is one of the few films that take place in a more modern time. This is a fascinating turn for me. It’s fundamentally a dark, hard boiled police procedural, much like what you would find in a film from the 50’s or 60’s. Although the time and place have been updated, a lot of the look and feel of this film is very expressionistic in the older noir style. Much of scenes are either at night or in a dark room, with light and shadows playing with the audiences’ perception.

 A lot of noir has to do simply with light and shadows. The absence of light creates the dark cracks and crevices that evil lurks. It also creates and overall tone of stark contrast. White and black, light and dark, good and evil are all part of the backdrop. The heroes live not in the gray but simultaneously in both worlds. This is why noir lends itself so well to the brash, crude and jaded cop stories. A life of fighting evil is bound to leave some stains. It’s a story that’s been told many times, this one just does a great job at showing it at its extremes.

Most people have probably seen this film a number of times. Whether you love it or hate it, I think it deserves a second look. This time, take note especially of the visual style of David Fincher’s direction and Darius Khondji’s cinematography. This is a very post-modern film and with any luck, it will inspire you to seek out some of those classic noir films that came before it.

Enjoy.