Blog Post #3: Deconstructing Characters of The Horror Genre
Detective David Mills (Se7en (1995)
An 80-year-old retired man comes on to the set and sits down for his interview. He makes a funny joke about him getting old and walking used to never be a problem for him. He takes one last sip of beer and says he’s ready.
ME: “Even at my age I can never agree with the taste of beer, it always has an awful taste to me”.
David : “Ha-ha, you get used to it, I've slowed down on it these past years”.
Mw: “So I’ve learned you started as a police officer in upstate New York, was it the same as the city?”
David: Not too much of a difference there was your usual criminals and petty thieves just like any town. I even got shot a while pursuing someone and was lucky enough to survive with my life”.
Me: “How long were you a police officer until you decided to become a detective, especially a detective in New York City”.
David: “I was a police officer for the first few years of my career and did everything a low-level police officer had to do. After a while I wanted something exciting and thrilling, I was tired of the simple and easy cases. I wanted something challenging. So I became a detective, although I knew that wouldn't be enough, so I moved to the city with my wife”.
Me: “So you become a detective and you move to the big apple. And you meet your partner, William Somerset. William was an older detective who was said to be totally differently than anyone you’ve encountered and was considered a very good detective. What was your first impression about detective William Somerset”.
David: “Detective William Somerset, If I look back at now, I would've listened to him from the start. He was focused and paid attention to any little detail he could find and magnified it. The total opposite of the person that I was in my younger days. I wanted to prove myself and show people my skills as an experienced detective. I was naive and totally filled my head with ideas of being a world class detective in a big city although I could never see the big picture. Especially since I’ve always let my emotions control my actions which is the worst trait a young detective should have”.
Me: “Since we know a little more about your earlier days on the force. I wanted to know about a case you took on years ago that involved a serial killer named John Doe”.
David: “John Doe, a name that brings out both anger and sadness to my heart. A name that still finds a way to haunt me every once and a while”.
Me: John's motive was to kill people based on their sin and show the world how much people sinned throughout their daily lives. Some of the sins that involved his murders were lust, greed, and gluttony. What was your first reaction to the murders by John Doe?.
David: “At the time Somerset and I started to piece together the first murdered of the obese man in his kitchen and the murder of the man in his office. I believed the murderer was crazy, just like any other murder usually is and I still do. This case drove me so much I wanted to be the one to take him down, especially since it was my first case in a new environment. At such a young age I was always impatient and could not wait for long without taking action”.
Me: “Since you’ve stated that he’s crazy and deranged, do you believe there was any truth to his actions and his reasons”?
David: “TRUTH,REASONING” that never crossed my mind, I wanted and needed to bring this guy in for the crimes he committed. Yes, there are sins that are present in this world, but it’s not right for us to place judgment on each other. I don’t go to church, and I wouldn't say I'm a holy person but I'm not in any position to judge anyone. And if someone needs to kill others to spread their beliefs or awareness, they are crazy simple as that”.
Me: “I want to know more about your final encounter with John doe. You decide to kill him after finding out that he killed your wife and unborn child. Do you believe you should have handled the situation differently? Did you think this case would end up like this? Do you regret moving your wife to the city? Do you believe killing him gave him what he wanted in the end, do you also believe you were his final target from the beginning”?
David: “On our drive to the location I began to feel suspicious. My problems with my anger and emotions untimely played in his favor. Although killing him crossed my mind especially after all that he has done and the way he made fun of me as a detective. I would rather bring him in and have him rot in prison for the rest of his life. As I look at it know he played me for a fool, he wanted to be involved or reenacted a sin in each and every of his murders even his own. He drove the anger and sadness out of a young detective and pushed him to his breaking point. I wonder how many people would not shoot the person responsible for their loved one murder. I don't regret taking his life even if it was what he wanted, the only thing I regret was not being able to protect my family”.
Me: “First of all I'm sorry for your loss and what you've had to go through. To close this interview I want to know how you found the will to move forward since the incident? Is there any advice you would give your younger self?”
David: “Moving forward and living now, I wonder what she must have felt and how she feared for her life. It was hard after the incident, and I had to take some time off to mourn and figure everything out. What pushed me forward and, on the path, to becoming a detective again. I know that she’s been watching over and I have no time to sit around and be sad. If I had to tell my younger self anything, it would be that everything gets better with time.”
Me: “Detective David Mills, Thank you for your time”
“David Mills.” The, these7en.fandom.com/wiki/David Mills.
“Detective David Mills Em 2022: Clube Da Luta, Brad Pitt, Fotos De Filmes.” Pinterest, 23 Jan. 2022, www.pinterest.com/pin/detective-david-mills-em-2022--686869380679454809/.
James Hibberd By James Hibberd April 04, 2017, at 01:32 PM EDT. “'Seven' Producer Recalls Debate over Shock Ending.” EW.com, ew.com/movies/2017/04/04/seven-se7en-ending/.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Seven Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt).” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/study-guides/movie/seven/cast/detective-david-mills-brad-pitt.
“William Somerset.” The, these7en.fandom.com/wiki/William Somerset.