Seven Pounds DVD - The Prince is Still Fresh

"In seven days, God created the world. And in seven seconds, I shattered mine"

Will Smith has come a long way since signing up with American TV Network NBC in 1990 to star in the much-loved sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". Almost bankrupt due to overspending and a huge unpaid tax bill, it was at this stage he set about becoming the "biggest movie star in the world".

It would be fair to say that he has probably achieved his goal. He is the only leading actor in history to have eight consecutive films open at number one at the box office and has numerous awards and nominations to his name. Smith has fans spanning the globe and appeals to all races, all ages and both male and female. He also has the useful knack of choosing films that are inevitably going to be box office hits - such as the telling of Mohammed Ali's story, plus the huge blockbuster Independence Day.

Smith generally brings a huge "likeability factor" to any role he plays, and this is never more so evident than in his 2009 drama "Seven Pounds". His character is affable and charismatic, despite the huge sadness and unimaginable burden of guilt he carries with him, and this prevents the film becoming as dark and depressing as it could have been. He portrays the conflicting emotions the complex Ben Thomas experiences convincingly in this stretching role and it's easy to see the improvement he has made as an actor and to empathize with the character he creates. It is very much a Will Smith film, in fact he appears in virtually every frame of every scene. This does not diminish the appeal of the movie in anyway however, because he brings the character to life with style and subtlety.

The movie begins with a dramatic scene in which Thomas is in a seedy hotel room in obvious emotional turmoil. He phones the emergency services to report a suicide and, when asked who the victim is, states that he himself is the victim. The film goes on to show us what turn of events could have led to this climax, which it does with real skill, unraveling one piece of the puzzle at a time. For much of the time, Thomas is in an enigma, abusing the unfortunate salesman Ezra Turner (Woody Harellson) one minute, an action he immediately and obviously regrets, whilst showing a sensitive and caring side to his nature the next. It is a paradox we struggle to understand until the reasons become heartbreakingly clear towards the end.

Not only does Smith give a fine performance, but the rest of the cast is also first rate. Rosario Dawson as love interest Emily Posa gives a moving performance and is a real breath of fresh air, providing an optimistic upbeat contradiction to Thomas' sometimes gloomy personna . There is a real chemistry between the two, and it is a unique love story which is movingly and believably told. Woody Harrelson is also excellent in a very small role, and one of my few gripes about the movie is that he was criminally underused and that leaves much of Ezra's story untold.

This is a well paced piece of drama that flows smoothly and coherently, possibly partly due to the fact that 30 members of the cast and crew (including director Gabriele Muccino and Will Smith himself) had all worked together previously on "The Pursuit of Happyness". Events unfold at a decent rate without ever seeming rushed, and it seems just about the right length at 123 minutes. It keeps up a high level of quality throughout.

Although there are unexpected plot twists and the nature of Thomas' mission only becomes evident towards the end, it is not a difficult movie to follow and provides gentle clues along the way to make sure the audience is keeping up. We never feel patronised either; there is no corny voice-over to make sure we know what's going on. Dialogue is also used sparingly, which just adds to the dramatic nature of the movie. It makes a change in an age when most script writers seem to want to use dialogues to force-feed the message to the audience, but here it is as it should be; the cast's acting ability revealing far more than words ever could.

My only real complaint about the film is the score. I normally ignore the soundtrack, thinking of it only as background noise. However, there is one particular song here which I believe is called "The Crisis" by Ennio Morricon which really grates on me. I don't pretend to be an expert and, according to YouTube where I found the track, I seem to be in a minority of one, but it honestly affected my enjoyment of the film. Having said that, the negative effect of this is offset my Muse's fantastic cover of "Feeling Good"!

"Seven Pounds" is a film about friendship, loyalty, love, guilt and repentance. It is an entertaining movie with a really genuine and heart-felt feel to it which will live long in the memory. Will Smith's performance in particular gives a moving and sometimes uncomfortable look into the pain and sorrow the human heart can suffer. The scenes between Thomas and Posa are incredibly touching. It is a movie which is sometimes heartwarming and at others heartbreaking but is always utterly engrossing.

Extras: A mildly interesting but fairly pointless documentary about jellyfish, another documentary about printing presses that I couldn't bring myself to watch, interviews with directors, producers etc and commentary.

Family Suitability: Nothing particularly graphic, but some dark and disturbing scenes that wouldn't be suitable for younger children.