Comments by "Ash Roskell" (@ashroskell) on "Analyzing Evil: John Doe, From Se7en" video.

  1. That’s a clever idea, and a neat twist, potentially. Is it yours? But it is an attempt to save Mills and to find a, “happier,” outcome. Yet that would have robbed the finale of its bleakness and ultimately, what made it so impactful. The fact that his plan worked, even when it was revealed and he was operating in plain sight, this is what makes him, the story and the final impact on the viewer so memorable and powerful. Remember when you watched it for the first time? Remember after that Hemingway quote and the sound of that distant helicopter fades, how you sat silently, contemplating what you’d just witnessed? Any other outcome to this tragedy would have robbed you of that moment. The reason this thriller is perfect is because it’s bone chilling in it’s inevitability. There is even a scene in the movie where Somerset tells Mills, “This won’t have a happy ending,” warning us, the audience, as much as the character in the story. I would love to see a story about what became of the characters. Would you? Mills would not have been jailed but he would have been retired out of the police force. What would he have done with himself after recovering from the trauma? Hunted people like John Doe as a private investigator? Maybe avoided all such work forever? Could he have ever found love again? Could he have found purpose? And Somerset, who said he’d, “be around,” presumably to help Mills if he could? Did he finally retire and go, “far away from here,” wherever, “here,” is? The city is never named, so we could all see it as a city we know. What could bring these two men back together? A copycat? Wouldn’t you love to see that? It could be done disastrously, but if it was done well, I think it might be one of the most anticipated thrillers of the 21st century?
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  2.  @britonuntitled4180  : Me neither. And it is pretty clever and would have played very well. But it was not the inevitable bitter dark of the story that made it work so well. I do know the studio was reluctant to release the movie as it was, and they wanted an alternative ending. But that one never came up that I’ve heard of? I think it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. Certainly in my top 10, and always at my top 3 or so of noir thrillers and detective genre movies.
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  3.  @TB688  : Yes, the story goes to great lengths to show us that Mills is a jock and a passionate person who can’t control his rage. And John Doe even tests that for himself when he pretends to be a reporter and narrowly escapes a beating from Mills. Mills kicks in Doe’s door, despite being persuaded that he could blow the whole case by Somerset; and he rages several times in the course of the story. We’re also shown that he’s not used to philosophical restraint, as he struggles with reading Dante, etc, whilst the smartest person he can think of in conversation is Yoda from Star Wars. While he is clever and witty, he is used to getting his way through his looks and charm and has never faced adversity, let alone such a life distorting tragedy as suddenly discovering he was instrumental in the murder of his own wife and manipulated by the figure of his own hatred. There’s even a moment in the car on the way to the finale where he nearly loses it, screaming at John Doe to, “sit back,” because he wants to beat him. The whole sense that Doe knew his men and exactly what they would do is what makes it all so powerful.
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  4.  @joshuaizzo8893  : I do remember the studio wanted a less downbeat ending and the director had to fight for the one we got. I think I recall that story about Brad Pitt threatening to walk if they didn’t do it that way too? Fincher put Pitt in two of his best ever movies. This and Fight Club. Though Fight Club was not an instant success like Seven was and took a while before growing into cult status, largely for all the wrong reasons, beloved by incels who misunderstood the whole thing and who thought that Pitt’s character was the hero.
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  5.  @Boxinghotspur57  : It’s certainly doubtful if the movie would have the iconic status it has today had it gone any other way. The twist is that John Doe truly is unbeatable. However, it was a very clever idea, and still would have made for a great ending, had it been done well. In a sense it was kind of genius, given Somerset’s status as being on the brink of retirement anyway. A self sacrifice, out of love for one’s fellow man, killing Doe before Mills could, would have been like the final check mate? The look of realisation on Doe’s face, just before Somerset announces what he’s going to do, that he lost the, “game,” and it was all for nothing, could have been set up by the dialogue on the journey there? That one thing out of place would mean failure? But, in the end, as you say, it works because of the ending as it is.
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  6.  @Wattywatasaurus  : Floyd’s idea was clever, genius even, and in a way, it’s almost like the story was set up for some kind of outcome like that, but when you think about it, it’s not as good as the ending we got. The whole point being one of, “inevitability.” And that he really did know these men and how they would react. That’s what left you pondering it afterwards, and what makes it stick in your thoughts now. Besides, Mill’s wife would still be dead and at least he gets away with a, “justifiable homicide,” and is unlikely to do any time for it, even if it ends his cop career? The tragedy cannot be assuaged by any sacrifice of Somerset’s? And robbing Mills of his wrathful vengeance might have done more harm than good in the end?
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