"Seven" has a methodical serial killer slicing and dicing his victims in a manner he feels fits their crimes — that is, an overindulgence in one of the seven deadly sins.

The actual killings are not shown, but we do see the aftermath in gory detail, and it's horrifyingly, sickeningly gruesome. In addition, the filmmakers seem to have forgotten to pay the light bill, which results in scene after scene being obscured by darkness (which may have been intended as a way of muting the shock of those gore scenes as much as a mood-setting device).

As a result, "Seven" is easily the darkest movie of the year, both figuratively and literally.

There is an obvious reach for some "Silence of the Lambs" resonance here, but the best element is Lt. William Somerset, a New York homicide detective played by Morgan Freeman, and the film's emphasis on realistic police procedures in the film's first half.

Somerset is the central figure, a veteran cop who has been on the job too long, seen too much and looks forward to his retirement, which is a mere seven days away when the film begins.

He is paired with his replacement, David Mills (Brad Pitt), who has been a police detective for five years but whose experience can hardly prepare him for this wave of horrifying killings.

Mills is a cocky hothead who needs tempering, while Somerset is a bookworm and every bit as methodical in his own way as the killer they are tracking. And the first half of of the film goes to great lengths to stay away from such movie stereotypes as maverick cops kicking down doors, waving their firearms and shooting at anything that moves.

Though it will take him past his retirement date, Somerset opts to stay with Mills until they have found the killer and solved the crime. At first they don't get along very well, being polar opposites in terms of personality. But later, after Mills' wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) steps in and forces them to get to know each other better, their relationship becomes less tenuous.

As the story progresses, the film manages to become quite engrossing, but it is a bit disconcerting that it can be so compelling and repugnant at the same time.

And in the second half, there is an obvious attempt to become more conventional and it's not hard to predict what's coming. Yet, the audience is pulled into the investigative process and in the end there is a tension-filled, hair-raising climax.

The actors are all quite good, shading their characters quite nicely, with Paltrow especially notable as she provides some much-needed warmth to the proceedings. Pitt demonstrates some versatility that goes beyond what we've seen so far. But Freeman gets the major kudos here, with an impressive, low-key performance that dominates the picture from beginning to end.

Director David Fincher ("Alien3") and first-time screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker generally handle the material quite well, but so much of the film is so distasteful that it is difficult to recommend. This one is strictly for those who have strong stomachs.

"Seven" is rated R for violence, gore, profanity, vulgarity, sex and nudity.