Seven Pounds reunites Will Smith with both the director (Gabriele Muccino) and producers of The Pursuit of Happiness, to create another personally focused melodrama.
Smith is introduced as IRS agent Ben Thomas, an emotionally troubled man that is on a quest to make a difference to the world and help some truly deserving people. From the films outset he is dolling out all kinds of help to people that have fallen on hard times and can’t afford to pay the tax man (a welcome prospect in today’s financial climate), but not everyone receives his uniquely generous help, as he goes above and beyond the requirements of an IRS agent in researching the clients backgrounds, and gets fairly angry with anyone he deems less than deserving; including a doctor that runs an old folks home but is less than caring to his residents.
The main focus of the film rests on the relationship between Smith and a woman who is not only is large amounts of debt, but also has a severe heart condition; making her doubly in need of Smith’s help. Their relationship begins when Smith approaches her regarding her tax debts, he then decides that she is a good person and doesn’t deserve to be worrying about debts with her illness, she becomes intrigued with him, and despite his efforts to keep a distance the two grow immeasurably close, as she grows more and more ill.
Without giving too much away, the films climax comes after realizing why Smith’s character is so emotionally damaged, and watching him go above and beyond, what even Bob Hope would do, in an effort to both redeem himself from previous actions and truly help a select group of people he feels are deserving.
The incident that emotionally damaged Mr. Thomas and led to the events of the film are hinted at throughout by a number of short flashbacks that provide brief snippets and clues into his world prior to the beginning of the film. The flashbacks, are supposed to provide seemingly confusing shreds of information, that when pieced together towards the end provide a full account of his traumatic past, however this isn’t the case; it’s glaringly obvious to just about anyone watching why Smith is doing what he’s doing (the title is a bit of a giveaway as well, if you can work it out) and by the time the mystery unfolds and the so-called ‘twist’ is revealed, you will have seen it coming for so long that it simply leaves you thinking “so what.”
The over reliance on the twist is one of the major things that lets Seven Pounds down, the romantic element, which appears to be the main focus of the story, never really gels with the other side where the viewer needs to ‘work out’ why Smith is doing what he’s doing. It may have worked better if one or the other was focused on more heavily, or better still if it was mainly about Smith’s attempts to redeem himself, how he arrived at the making the decision he has made (something that’s never satisfactorily explained) and the ethical questions that it raises.
Despite the holes in the story the acting remains solid throughout, Will Smith gives a good yet not groundbreaking performance, constantly appearing troubled and tormented by his past, it’s not a very subtle or unique showing, but one that does the job very well. Smith’s love interest is played by Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Death Proof), and while she shines while playing the romantic side of her character, she never comes across as overly sick, which is strange for someone who, as we are constantly reminded, is only one mild sneeze away from burning out her heart and keeling over. Barry Pepper (We Were Soldiers, Saving Private Ryan) plays Smith’s best friend, and pulls off the tragically loyal yet morally confused man who’s just trying to do right by his friend, it’s also nice to see him in another non-army role. Arguably the best acting in the film comes from Woody Harrelson, in a brilliant yet surprisingly brief role as the overly nice blind man that for some unknown reason is berated and stalked by Smith’s character. Woody plays his part excellently, being extremely nice and yet clearly showing that underneath it all he is brimming with hatred and resentment to those who treat him badly, this is a true testament to his acting ability and one that provides a clear case for placing him in more starring roles in the future.
In brief, Seven Pounds is a film that’s likely to maintain interest all the way through, as it never becomes boring, however it suffers from an over-reliance on ‘mystery’ elements and it blatantly obvious twists. Too much is given away too soon, and whilst having only one extremely flat melancholy tone throughout adequately reflects the experiences of the main character, it’s not the best way to tell a story. Cinematography is more than adequate although not outstanding, there’s a decent cast and the acting is solid, but all in all this is one fairly unremarkable film.
Picture:
As you’d expect from any of Sony’s newer major releases, Seven Pounds is presented in full 1080p glory, and it’s a transfer that won’t disappoint. The picture is extremely detailed, and there are several shots (particularly one outdoors scene in a field) that look truly amazing. 
Blacks levels are superb, being both rich and deep, and whilst the colour does veer slightly to the yellow side of the spectrum (and it is very slight), slightly distorting flesh tones, the contrast remains incredibly good. Seven Pounds is one Blu-ray that, at least in picture terms, most owners will be impressed by.
Audio:
Another thing viewers expect when buying a new Blu-ray release is a quality soundtrack, and once again Seven Pounds delivers, with a Dolby True HD 5.1 track which, like the picture, it’is a fairly impressive one. As this is more of a drama, and focuses on the romance between Smith’s and Dawson’s characters, obviously there isn’t much action; which means that this isn’t really a movie that should be used to test your systems setup. However, the volume, unlike many releases, is perfectly leveled throughout; meaning that not once does sound become overbearing or too quiet to listen to; this is best heard through the dialogue, which is perfectly aligned in the front and center channels, and never even slightly difficult to understand. The score, which fits the tone and individual scenes of the movie exceedingly well, is well worked into the film and spread through each of the channels very effectively, as are the ambient sounds present most notably in the exterior scenes. Overall this is a brilliant soundtrack, not one that’s going to show off your system, but one that’s perfect for the film.
Extras:
The list of extras is fairly standard when compared to most discs, there’s the usual audio commentary (a fairly boring solo effort by director Gabriele Muccino), a standard making of (called Seven Views on Seven Pounds, and consisting of talks from the director, writer, producer, editor, composer, and other crew), around four minutes worth of deleted scenes (all boring and add nothing to the film) and interviews with the cast (called Creating the Perfect Ensemble). There’s also about half a dozen trailers for other films, which is always a welcome addition, and two short features which are pure filler, but interesting nonetheless; one based on the life of the box jellyfish, and another about the art of the printing press. All in all the features are a fairly standard mix, but they’re pretty informative and mostly interesting; the jellyfish feature being of particular note.
The Bottom Line:
Seven Pounds definitely isn’t a film to write home about, rather than action, story or special effects, its main selling point is simply having Will Smith as the main star. The story doesn’t play out as happy, sad or uplifting; it attempts to be a mystery but gives away too much, and every twist, small or large, fails to shock or surprise. Smith’s character says that being unremarkable would be a step up for him, but being unremarkable is exactly the level this film achieves. Avid Will Smith fans may want to rent Seven Pounds, as there’s enough going on to maintain interest for one viewing, but it really isn’t worth a second watch. Sure the extras aren’t bad, sound and picture are both great, but that doesn’t make up for the colossal problems with the plot. It is a good disc, but it’s an ultimately forgettable film.
