"Hey, Karl! I heard something."
A colleague's voice, tinged with mystery, echoed leisurely in the office.
"Hmm?" Karl Morlin turned his head instinctively upon hearing the sound.
He was an agent at William Morris Agency (WMA), with a modest number of clients, but each had a bright future, especially the director he signed last year, whom he highly valued.
"Do you know Se7en?" the colleague leaned closer and asked in a hushed voice.
"I know it. It's supposed to be released this month, right?"
Karl frowned in confusion, wondering why his colleague would bring that up out of the blue.
"Guess who the screenwriter for that movie is?" The colleague's lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
"Sorry, John, too busy to read the newspaper." Karl shook his head, his gaze returning to the work at hand.
"It's your former client! Kazier Gray! My client is collaborating with him, that's how I heard about it."
The colleague said excitedly, as if he had discovered a shocking secret.
"What?!" Karl's eyes instantly widened, almost popping out. He thought his colleague was joking with him. "How is that possible? Don't mess with me."
"Judging by your reaction, you really didn't know. Here, there's an article about Se7en in this magazine." The colleague said, handing a magazine to Karl.
Karl took the magazine and walked into the four-person shared office. As a small agent, his status in the company wasn't high, so sharing an office was normal. He found a seat, slowly opened the magazine, and his expression grew uglier the more he read.
"Impossible! Kazir's level, he couldn't write a script like this!" Karl couldn't help but exclaim, his voice filled with doubt and unwillingness.
He had represented Kazir for three years and knew his capabilities all too well. He hadn't renewed the contract after it expired because he simply didn't see any future for the director.
Moreover, Kazir had accidentally spilled water on the company's vice president back then, offending a senior executive. In his opinion, this had ruined his own prospects.
"..."
Karl stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.
The report said that Se7en cost as much as 35 million, and according to Hollywood custom, such an investment might make it a hit.
"No, this movie is definitely going to flop." Karl tried to cheer himself up, muttering incessantly, "An R-rated movie, families with kids definitely won't watch it. What kind of box office can it get? With Kazir's level, what good script could he write?"
Deep down, he hoped Se7en would fail, otherwise, if he let go of such a potential stock, he would regret it to death.
The thought of possibly losing a golden egg left Karl agitated all day, unable to focus on anything... "Wow! The premiere is actually like this! Look, it's Jennifer Aniston!" Reese shrieked excitedly, her eyes fixed on the celebrities on the red carpet.
"I see her, Reese, don't shout in my ear, you'll deafen me."
Kazir said with a smile, a hint of anticipation on his face.
It seemed Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were quite sweet even before they got married; this golden couple was the center of attention wherever they went.
"I can't help it! To be this close!" Reese lowered her voice, but the excitement in her tone was undiminished, her eyes sparkling like two stars.
Kazir brought Reese to the Se7en premiere. They stood in the crowd, watching Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Gwyneth Paltrow walk onto the red carpet one by one, waving to their fans.
The celebrities were dressed glamorously, striking various poses for the cameras, especially the actresses, who displayed a series of elegant and charming postures.
Unfortunately, screenwriters like Kazir weren't qualified to walk the red carpet, unless he became famous someday, but Kazir didn't really care.
"Perfect, I don't like to show off either. Making movies is fine, but being in the public eye, no thanks." He thought to himself, a hint of indifference in his eyes.
After the celebrities entered, the outside gradually quieted down.
Kazir and Reese entered the cinema through the back door and found their seats.
"I heard the test screening was terrible, and the audience didn't buy it at all. Brad Pitt starring in this kind of movie might be a flop." Someone whispered nearby. Although the voice was not loud, it was exceptionally clear in the quiet cinema.
Reese's face flushed red with anger when she heard this. Just as she was about to retort, Kazir pulled her back.
"Let's just watch the movie quietly and ignore them." Kazir said softly.
The lights dimmed, the screen lit up, New Line Cinema's classic opening appeared, and the familiar music began.
As the movie started, everyone held their breath.
Detective Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, appeared. He was an old police officer nearing retirement, with the years leaving deep marks on his face.
He walked down the street, looking at everything around him, as if he had lost faith in this world.
"Sure enough, Morgan is playing this gentlemanly role again." Reese whispered, and someone next to her mumbled a few words in agreement.
Detective Mills, played by Brad Pitt, took over from Detective Somerset. He was young and impetuous, full of vitality and drive, determined to make a name for himself.
He walked briskly down the street in his handsome police uniform.
"Brad is so handsome!" A shriek came from the back row as several young girls excitedly discussed.
As the plot progressed, the two detectives encountered a brutal murder case.
When they arrived at the scene, the sight before them was horrifying.
Soon, they discovered that this was just the beginning of a series of murders. The killer specifically targeted people who had committed the Seven Deadly Sins, and each crime scene was arranged in a bizarre and perverse manner, as if to expose the ugliness of human nature to the world.
"Ugh..."
When the first victim appeared, someone couldn't help but retch.
It was a corpulent man, force-fed until his stomach ruptured, representing "Gluttony"; there was also a greedy lawyer, forced to cut off a piece of his own flesh, blood staining the ground; another slacker was tied to a bed for a year, his body emaciated to skin and bones; someone was forced to kill a prostitute, corresponding to "Lust"; a proud model was disfigured and then overdosed on medication... Each scene was chilling, as if one were in hell.
Detective Somerset also met Detective Mills' wife, Tracy (played by Gwyneth Paltrow). Tracy was a gentle and kind woman. She looked at Detective Somerset, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Detective Somerset learned she was pregnant but didn't know how to tell her husband.
He looked at Tracy, sighing inwardly, knowing this news could bring a huge impact to the young family.
The detectives gradually discovered that the killer, named John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey), wanted to use these cases to expose the evil of human nature and played psychological games with the detectives.
He left clues at every crime scene, as if deliberately provoking the detectives.
In the alley, Detective Mills confronted John Doe, the atmosphere tense to the extreme.
John Doe's eyes revealed a madness and triumph. He looked at Detective Mills, as if looking at prey about to be played with in the palm of his hand.
Detective Mills, on the other hand, glared, gripping the gun in his hand, ready to fire at any moment.
Just at the critical moment, the killer let him go, turning and disappearing into the darkness.
The audience breathed a sigh of relief. In this kind of movie, the protagonist could very likely die. Everyone thought the danger had passed, but they didn't expect something even more terrifying was yet to come.
Later, Detective Mills discovered that the reporter who had been harassing them was actually the killer! This discovery made the entire audience gasp, and they couldn't believe their ears.
It turned out that John Doe had been hiding in the shadows, observing the detectives' every move, waiting for the optimal moment.
As the climax neared, the cinema was so quiet you could hear breathing.
Everyone was glued to the screen, afraid of missing any detail.
The detectives finally located John Doe, but he actually surrendered himself, his clothes stained with blood, clearly having killed again.
He walked into the police station, a strange smile on his face, as if declaring his victory to the world.
"Is that it?" Reese asked softly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Kazir shook his head, motioning for her to keep watching.
Everyone thought the movie was about to end, unaware that the cruelest part was yet to come—the famous "What's in the box?" scene was about to unfold.