Production note Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the script over about two years while working at Tower Records.
Production note The movie made roughly $327 million worldwide on a $33 million budget.
Production note The film had a proposed alternate ending where Somerset would shoot John Doe instead of Mills.
Production note Pitt really injured his arm during the car chase and the cast was written around it.
Production note The prop books were real books created for the film and took months to make.
Production note The skinny chained-up victim was played by an actor who weighed 98 pounds.
Production note Roger Ebert initially reviewed the film at three and a half stars, then later revised it to four.
Production note Fincher wanted the movie’s opening title treatment to avoid the old droning-credit style.
The Usual Suspects Used as a 1995 peer and example of another influential movie that was under-recognized by the Oscars.
Heat Another 1995 movie cited as a major, enduring film of the year.
Casino Referenced as a 1995 classic and as a movie audiences initially felt had to be measured against Goodfellas.
Shawshank Redemption Used as a comparison for rewatchability and for Freeman’s career momentum.
Zodiac Cited as a Fincher film with similar investigative foreplay and murder-offscreen structure.
Fight Club Referenced as another Fincher movie and as a cultural touchstone whose meaning has shifted over time.
Alien 3 Discussed as Fincher’s difficult studio experience before Se7en.
True Romance Referenced as a Brad Pitt early-career highlight and a contrast to his role in Se7en.
Legends of the Fall Mentioned as one of Pitt’s immediate pre-Se7en star-making attempts.
Thelma & Louise Used to frame Pitt’s rise to fame before Se7en.
Training Day Referenced as the other film using the same downtown diner location for a key meeting scene.
Copycat Mentioned as a more generic, forgettable serial-killer thriller from the same era.
The Sopranos Used as the analogy for Fincher’s intended hard-cut ending to black.
Nine Inch Nails Cited as part of the film’s era-specific industrial/dark music texture.
The White Shadow Referenced in a joke about Gwyneth Paltrow’s family connection.
