Neutralizing Murder and the Seven Deadly Sins in Christianity Criminological Analysis of the Movie "Seven"

Volume 1, Issue 1
May 2025
Pages 91-113

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology. ferdowsi University of Mashhad

2 MA Student of Criminal Law and Criminology. Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Abstract
Today, in the light of new attitudes in media studies, the discussion of media representation of religion has been taken into consideration. As the seventh art, cinema has always been related to Sharia-oriented approaches and the representation of religion has been reflected in movies. Based on this, this research aims to analyze and evaluate the movie "Seven" in the light of the criminological theory of neutralization using qualitative methods. Based on the findings of this research, the movie "Seven" focuses on the seven major sins in Christianity, including the sins of gluttony, greed, laziness, lust, pride, envy, and anger. They are killed. Based on the findings of the film analysis, the killer in the light of techniques of neutralization such as denial of victimhood, denial of responsibility, denial of damage, condemnation of the condemned and belief in higher values, by killing a man with a belly, a greedy lawyer, a proud woman, a lazy man and a prostitute, the victim. Making himself guilty of the sin of envy and destroying Detective Mills as guilty of rage justifies the commission of serial murders. However, the overall evaluation of the film shows that despite the punishment of the sinners in the obvious meanings of the film, appeal to otherworldly forces, considering the divine mission and murder with the belief of Mahduraldam are part of the hidden meanings of the film.

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