Se7en Opening Scene: A Textual Analysis

The opening sequence of “Se7en” runs for around 4 minutes and it is intended to introduce us to the central protagonist, Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), as well as to set the mood for the remainder of the film. It also gives the audience lots of information about him- including what he does for a living and what he’s like as a person, not least introducing another main character, Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt). …

…an entire day in only 4 minutes suggests his life isn’t particularly exciting to begin with. There is no movement in the scene- just the background music of people shouting and dogs barking once more- along with the loud ticking of his clock, which gets increasingly louder until we cut to the opening credits. This loud ticking is very monotonous and gets very repetitive- therefore yet another indication of Somerset’s personality and personal life.