Se7en - Characters & Cast

His primary motivation is to survive his last week on the job with his sanity intact and escape the city he believes is irredeemable. However, his intellectual curiosity and a deeply buried sense of duty compel him to meticulously unravel the complex puzzle presented by John Doe.

Somerset begins the film as a deeply jaded and disillusioned man, a week away from retirement, who has emotionally detached himself from the horrors of his job as a survival mechanism. Initially reluctant to engage with the new case or his new partner, he is drawn in by the intellectual challenge posed by the killer. Through his investigation and his burgeoning, albeit reluctant, friendship with Mills and Tracy, he begins to question his complete withdrawal. The film's horrific conclusion shatters any remaining hope for a clean victory, yet it galvanizes him. He abandons his plan to retire and disappear, choosing instead to stay and fight, embodying his final line: "I'll be around."

Mills is driven by a straightforward desire to catch the bad guys and enforce justice. He is eager to prove himself and believes that direct action can solve problems. He is also motivated by his love for his wife, Tracy, and the future they plan to build together.

Mills starts as an idealistic, ambitious, and impulsive young detective who has transferred to the city seeking action and to make a name for himself. He believes in a black-and-white world of good and evil and is frustrated by Somerset's cautious, intellectual approach. Throughout the film, he is confronted with a level of depravity that challenges his simplistic worldview. His arc is a tragic descent from hopeful hero to a broken man. In the end, he is completely manipulated by John Doe, and his idealism is annihilated when he gives in to pure emotion, becoming the embodiment of Wrath and the final piece in the killer's masterpiece.

Doe is motivated by a profound disgust with the sin and apathy he sees in the world. He believes he has been chosen by a higher power to create a work that will shock people out of their complacency. His goal is not simply to kill but to "set the example" and have his crimes studied and followed forever, thereby achieving a twisted form of immortality. His final act is motivated by his envy of Mills's simple, happy life.

John Doe is a static character who remains an enigma for most of the film. He is not a character who develops but one who is gradually revealed. He is a patient, intelligent, and independently wealthy man who has dedicated his life to creating a series of murders as a form of moral sermon. When he finally appears, he is calm, articulate, and completely in control, manipulating the detectives and the legal system to ensure his plan reaches its intended conclusion. His arc is one of self-actualization through monstrous acts, culminating in his own martyrdom to complete his work.

Tracy is motivated by her love for her husband and her desire to build a family. She seeks connection and happiness but is overwhelmed by the oppressive environment she finds herself in. Her motivation is to find a way to cope with her new life and decide whether it's a suitable place to bring a child into the world.

Tracy's arc is brief but pivotal. She moves to the grim city to support her husband's career but finds herself unhappy and isolated. She forms a connection with the lonely Somerset, confiding in him her fears about raising a child in such a bleak environment. Her character represents the hope and normalcy that stands in stark contrast to the city's decay. Her tragic arc concludes off-screen, as she becomes the ultimate victim, her death serving as the catalyst for the film's devastating climax and the completion of John Doe's plan.