This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Christopher Mattley’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
Who can argue with the selfless nobility of Will Smith? Not many people is the correct answer. Will Smith is one of the very few actors to begin life on TV and trangress to films, both comedic and serious with what seems like effortless ease. And maybe despite Wild Wild West, I struggle to think of a film where I didnt like Will Smith.
Seven Pounds works first time round, and the impact is outstanding. It loses something on a second viewing, but I've seen this at least 4 times now and still enjoy it. The reason, is the subject matter and seeing Will Smith battle himself racked with guilt and demons. Its very hard to write about this without giving it away, so I've flagged it for spoilers but I'm going to try hard not to give anything away.
There is nothing but noble heartbreak and ache here, so if you arent in a stable mood dont watch this. Alternatively if you need to just break down, slam this in the player and you'll be sorted. Smith is amazing, as is Woody Harrelson and how often can you say that?
Everything about Seven Pounds works. On the first viewing it seems disjointed and out of sync, but then you realise why. Even the music theme by Sieben Leben is broken and faultering as if to mirror the slow reality that dawns on screen. Having watched this...letting that one person go before you at the traffic lights or letting someone with bags sit on the train just wont really cut it.