Typical Se7en

Several of the (not seven) but other deadly sins apparent in Se7en have been noted by Neal King and are comparable to the other biracial buddy cop films we've watched in class. To begin, while the topic of race is notably ignored, how the two cops are depicted falls right into the mold. The black cop, Detective Somersette, is notably more intelligent and experienced than his white counterpart, Detective Mills. This standard is evident by Tibbs' homicide expertise and knowledge of his craft in In the Heat of the Night, Murtaugh's obvious experience in his precinct and intelligence built up from 50 years of age in Lethal Weapon, and Foley's quick mind which sets the pace for his intelligence in solving the crime and his experience in the work force which has added more to his knowledge than the naive Beverly Hills cops in Beverly Hills Cop. Justifiably, the conclusion can be drawn that to legitimize a black man as a respectable cop, detective, officer, etc. in a movie, he must undoubtedly have been the best candidate (black or white) for the job.
Another characteristic which sets the tone in Se7en compared to other movies is the Elder and Younger mentality. Somersette embodies additional characteristics attributed to him by being the obviously older of the two and vice versa. The older cop at various points, especially in the beginning, attempts to assert his superiority over the younger one. Somersette tells Mills to "leave the scene" several times and Chief was always trying to aprehend the killer without Tibbs amongst other things. The younger cop typically holds a strong disregard for being a cop by the books. Mills is mouthy to his boss, tries to dismiss the killer as a lunatic, hits the photographer out of anger, takes off running and shooting after their suspect, and murders John Doe in the end. Every young cop in all the movies we've watched ends up enticing their older partner into partaking in some aspect of their rambunctiousness.