Collider senior writer Ryan Heffernan has published an opinion list-piece arguing that, although David Fincher's 1995 film Se7en is an enduring masterpiece of the crime thriller genre, several other films may equal or surpass it as the finest crime thriller ever made. The article uses Se7en — a bleak, atmospheric tale of two detectives pursuing a serial killer themed around the seven deadly sins — as a benchmark against which nine other celebrated titles are measured.

The available portion of the article details three of the nominated films. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is praised for revolutionising narrative structure, pioneering slasher techniques and famously killing its protagonist halfway through. Roman Polanski's Chinatown (1974) is hailed as the defining neo-noir masterpiece, following private detective Jake Gittes through a story of corruption amid the California water wars, notable for Robert Towne's screenplay and its bleak ending. Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) is celebrated for its non-linear structure, sharp dialogue and stylised violence within Los Angeles' criminal underworld.