With the Dante’s Divine Comedy being so successful during the time of its release, it is no surprise that 700 years late we are still able to see its influence in the works of our time. Though this epic poem is one of the most well known pieces of literature, its structure and content has led to only parts of it being cited less frequently. This is why we in modern times have become most familiar with the first two book of the Divine Comedy–Inferno and Purgatorio. Specifically, their tales of hell and sin have worked their ways in to many of the stories we now consume and praise.

Seven is a film directed by David Fincher. It was released in 1995 and is highly rated. It follows a pair of detectives who follow a string of serial murders throughout a filthy and apathetic city. Even before watching the film, the title itself (sometimes also spelled as Se7en) references the seven deadly sins established by Pope Greggory I and Thomas Aquinas. But this isn’t a direct influence on Dante's comedy yet.

One of the film's most glaring influences from the Divine Comedy is its choice of protagonist–two protagonists. Detective David Mills is young, emotional, and carries with him the naivety of humanity. And detective William Somerset is old, collected, and carries wisdom from his decades of police work. With this choice of the film’s protagonist, Fincher draws a clear conscience to the Divine Comedy. Mills parallels young a naive Dante who is guided by the much more experienced and calm Somerset who here parallels Virgil.

The story of the film centers around an unknown serial killer picking out targets that represent a specific sin. Fincher references Purgatory directly for the sin of Greed. For this murder, the serial killer presents the victim's body by making him kneel on the floor and pray. This directly mirrors the punishment for the sin of avarice in Purgatory where Dante describes that sinners would be forced to the lie ground weeping and reciting psalms.

Another reference to a punishment of a sin in Purgatory is that of Gluttony. This is actually the first serial murder that we are shown in the film. And while it does not directly follow the punishments described in Purgatory, I’d argue that it still follows the same ideas Dante presents. While Dante takes the gluttonous’s punishment to one extreme (having sinners feel excruciating hunger), Fincher chooses to represent this sin by having the killer force feed their victim to the point of death.

Though Fincher does not parallel every punishment for each sin in this film, there is one more portrayal of sin that is influenced by Purgatory. In the climactic finale of the film, the serial killer, John Doe, provokes Detective Mills into becoming unhinged with anger. When Detective Somerset realizes the Doe’s plan, he pleads with Mills to put down his gun. Eventually, Mills is blinded by rage and shoots Doe, killing him instantly. Thus, Fincher uses this act to have Mills symbolize the sin of wrath. In Purgatory, Dante describes that idea: the thick smoke that blinds the sinners represents them having been blinded by their wrath. In the same way, Mills’s wrath blinds him and keeps him from listening to the rational pleading from Somerset.

While the film doesn’t completely revolve around referencing Dante’s Divine Comedy, there are very clear moments that show that it indeed influenced aspects of it. The poem and specific scenes are even referenced in the film. It could also be argued that Fincher’s knowledge of the Comedy is something that could have inspired the plot initially even if it did stick to drawing too many parallels. Seven is a film that shows how far Dante has influenced modern works and how he was able to popularize these concepts to the point that the ideas are known in mainstream contexts.