Se7en (A Neo-Noir example)

The narrative introduces the horror/thriller/neo-noir genre to the audience which subverts the crime/detective genre. During the whole story they are fighting crime so it obviously meets with the crime/detective genre. Some examples of generic conventions are noticable such as passing the torch, with freeman retiring and brad pitt hired. the trail of breadcrums in the form of clues at each of the crime scenes in the film. Interesting/striking elements of mise-en-scene are seen in the film such as the flashlights being the only light in a dark scene to really add tension to that particular moment in the film and also build up more of a dark film in the neo-noir genre. Camera angles capture Somerset & Mill's (freeman & pitt) reaction to the bloody crime and tense scene with almost complete focus on their facial expressions.

Sound plays a major part of the Mise-en-scene in this film as many effects are mixed in the the setting and performance to create more of a depressing, spooky sub-genre. Roaring cars, shop alarms and sirens are all heard in the background when the characters are inside and outside. High pitched sounds mix in with the tension building sound effects when somerset and mills are at a murder scene. Subway sound effect ruins the quiet dinner scene which keeps the harsh reality of the outside setting alive and strong. The excellent performance that also mixes in with the strong sound effects really alienates the characters from understanding the horrific encounter and makes it harder to deal with the experience. I noticed that the costumes worn are similar to the classic detective characters seen in 1940s film noir crime genres, such as the tanned overcoat worn by Somerset and the tweed style suit worn by Mills nearly throughout the whole film.

My conclusion is that this film Se7en is an excellent example of neo-noir as it is basically just the elements of film noir but with upgraded technology and more of a dangerous world to live in with also a bit of horror thrown into the neo noir genre.