Top 5: David Fincher Films
David Fincher is one of the finest American filmmakers working today — and he’s easily one of the most notoriously meticulous directors the medium has ever seen. His controlling nature, perfectionist attitude, and attention to the smallest details give Stanley Kubrick a run for his money — he averages somewhere between 50 to 75 takes per scene and is on record saying, "I hate earnestness in performance… usually by Take 17 the earnestness is gone.” His desire to have every single scene as natural and authentic as possible probably makes him somewhat of a nightmare to work for as an actor or crew member, but it’s also a vital element to his genius — and one of the prime reasons he’s such a revered auteur.
He’s usually in peak form when he’s taking on a psychological thriller (many of which you’ll see in our list), but no matter the subject, all of his films have one thing in common: they deal with central characters that are grappling to maintain control of their lives, or are just as controlling and compulsive as he is. Given the recent release of Mank, we’re honoring this infamous obsessive creative by taking a look at what we consider to be his best work.
5: Gone Girl (2014)
There’s little wonder why Fincher was drawn to Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, Gone Girl; it’s a dark, twisted psychological thriller with a mysterious center that cleverly plays with the notion of truth. Like many Fincher films, Gone Girl grabs you from frame one and tightens its grip more and more as the narrative becomes increasingly gnarled and complicated (in the best possible ways). It really takes the viewer for a ride and leaves them in a very interesting and unsettling place. Its true genius, though, is how it gets the audience to go back and forth on how they feel about the characters. Also, let’s not forget that the film brings out the absolute best in Ben Affleck (who boldly does some full frontal), Rosamund Pike, and Tyler Perry. Fincher’s usual surgical precision is present in every composition, which is further aided by Kirk Baxter’s tight editing and frequent Fincher collaborators’, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’, eerily subdued score.
4: Fight Club (1999)
We are Jack’s complete lack of surprise to find Fight Club on this list, but it may come as a bit of a shock to see it in the back half of our top five; it’s a terrific film but a bit over played and hyped for us — and, well, we think he’s done much better (before and since). Blending Fincher’s smooth and meticulous direction with complex visual effects and sickly cinematography from Jeff Cronenweth (whose father served as cinematographer under Fincher on his debut, Alien 3) that perfectly encapsulates the mental state of its narrator (in a similar way to how the art direction reflects the protagonist of Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari), Fight Club remains as one of the greatest explorations and takedowns of toxic masculinity and “boys clubs.” The film features an excellent Ed Norton, Meatloaf with massive man boobs, the grimiest iteration of Helena Bonham Carter (which says a lot), and the absolute sexiest version of Brad Pitt ever. The film’s big reveal may feel like trickery (it was to Ebert), but it works — and it’s very memorable.
3: Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac is probably Fincher at his most meticulous; he went so far as to fly in trees to recreate the Lake Berryessa murder and even had victims dressed and draped in the same fabric and positions they were in the crime scene photos. The film is what Guillermo del Toro affectionately dubbed a “one sock movie,” saying “you're getting dressed- you catch it on TV and sit down (one sock in hand) and watch it until the end.” He’s not being hyperbolic here either; Zodiac is a film that sucks you in and doesn’t let go. Bursting with obsession and shrouded in tension and mystery, Zodiac expertly weaves true crime and biopic together into a perfect union that is bolstered by the performances from its A+ cast.
2: The Social Network (2010)
The Social Network was quite the delightful surprise when it dropped in 2010. We never would have suspected that a film about Facebook could be this compelling, exciting, or monumental, but it’s probably Fincher’s most important film — and easily one of the last decades best. Similar to how Zodiac blended true crime with biography, Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin interweave legal deposition with biopic to create one of cinema’s most fascinating and ironic character studies, depicting Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, a man who created a place where users were dying to “be your friend,” as this lonely man without any. The film feels like a hybrid of Rashomon and Citizen Kane for the internet age, which is strengthened by the incredible, driving score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Jesse Eisenberg’s pitch-perfect, career-defining performance.
1: Se7en (1995)
If Zodiac is a “one sock movie,” then Fincher’s 1995 film, Se7en, is a “no sock movie” for us. This immensely ominous and wholly demented flick combines neo-noir with psychological crime thriller to create something incendiary, unsettling, and unforgettable. Fincher has never been more complex, dark, or disturbing, and we are totally here for it. Se7en is set in dirty, violent, polluted, and often depressing city, which is almost entirely shrouded in foreboding weather and merciless rain (with the exception of one metropolis shot of Brad Pitt in a vehicle with the sun shining through the overcast sky and the film’s ironically bright lit climax); it’s not quite New York and not quite Chicago, but a place of indeterminate time and space, which accurately reflects the moral decay of the people that inhabit it. The atmosphere is palpable, the acting is phenomenal (particularly Pitt and Freeman’s dynamic), and the film’s twisted take on the seven deadly sins is so dark and resinous that you’ll be lucky if you can ever wash it off your skin. The film set the high bar for the dark, gritty thrillers that followed, and has one of the most memorable, scary, and upsetting endings of all time, which is why it’s our favorite David Fincher film.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!