Seven Pounds Review

 

When I first got a peep at the trailer for  Seven Pounds I was intrigued.  The trailer itself gave away only small nuggets of the film’s plot, but never revealed its secrets.  This was a tactic that I thought was dead in the world of movie advertising, so as soon as the flick made it’s way into theaters I rushed to see it, and for the first time in a long while, I was impressed with a Hollywood drama.  

 

Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is an IRS agent carrying around some serious demons.  He walks through life carefully observing the world around him, picking out the good in people, but never able to detach himself from his own internal pain.  What is he doing?  Why gift does he want to give these strangers that he has found to be good people? These are all questions raised by the film, but none of them are answered until the end of the last act.  A huge achievement pulled off with style by director Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happiness).  

I was blown away by Smith’s performance from the very first frame of the film.  When working with a talented director like Muccino, Smith is a force to be reckoned with.  He shows a huge array of emotions in the film, and none of them seem forced, I was curious about his actions, but confused by his motives.  But it wasn’t only smith that shined here.  The entire cast is worthy of an Oscar nomination.  Rosario Dawson was extremely impressive as Emily Posa, a woman with congenital heart diseaase.  Emily could have come of as pitiful if played wrong, but Dawson’s Emily was a strong woman doing her best to drink up every last drop of life she has left, yet still able to show her vulnerabilities.  Woody Harrelson was also solid as Ezra Turner, a blind musician with a good soul.  And Barry Pepper is strong as Ben’s best friend Dan.  

It’s not often a film can move me the way that this one did.  Muccino is a master of cinematic timing, and a solid director that makes informed decisions instead of monetarily influenced ones. This film is a beautiful and harrowing drama that, never once questions the intelligence of its audience.  If your looking for a drama that lets you in on the secret from the outset, then this is not the film for you, but if your looking for a film that offers so much more than just a predictable plot, look no further than Seven Pounds.  Seven Pounds is most definitely a killer film.

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