David Fincher: Ranked — Unpublished

7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The film I consider least expected of Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an epic that is, to put it plainly, strange. I’ve watched this film more times than I can count and yet there’s something about it that just doesn’t hit. Without having a set tone or any explicit, discernable themes, there is no room for Fincher to shine in those respects. In that sense, this film may strangely speak to his strengths as a director. Fincher typically plays with alienated, generally disliked characters so well that anything feels out of place. Working with characters without flaws or consuming preoccupations, Benjamin Button becomes slightly lost, capping off with a pleasant yet somewhat flat ending. Overall, it is still a mostly enjoyable, bittersweet journey to go on, yet one that isn’t particularly exceptional. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is Oscar-bait at its finest.

6. Zodiac

It’s not lost on me that ranking Zodiac this low is a controversial take. Crime is one genre that Fincher consistently works with, and does so quite well. He has clearly mastered the frequent claustrophobic and obsessive tones that thrive in these scenarios. However, I personally don’t see these aspects working as well in this film as they do in his other works. While this may just be owed to the context of the story’s subject matter, (which is already a well-known unsolved case), Zodiac simply does not conjure the same intense feelings of suspense and dread as Fincher’s other crime features. I can’t exactly pinpoint why. While a satisfying resolution cannot be expected of an adaptation of true events in this sense, I feel drained when I finish Zodiac. While this may be a quality others appreciate, it just isn’t for me. Nonetheless, even if I don’t love a certain work of Fincher, there’s no telling how many times I’ll rewatch it, and Zodiac is no exception.

5. Se7en

In complete contrast to Benjamin Button, Se7en is what I believe to be the trademark Fincher. Brimming with neo-noir motifs, the film’s world - set in an indistinct city - is dark and gritty. Consistent in its tone, it is very much reminiscent of a grim episode of Law and Order. As mentioned before, this is a genre in which Fincher’s tendencies thrive and come to life. While it may not be as visually impressive as some of his other movies, I have very few criticisms of this film. It moves just quickly enough, and keeps the narrative’s timeline down to one week, making it incredibly easy to follow and become invested in.

4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

A film that perfectly showcases those aspects where Fincher excels, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is near-constantly captivating. Balancing multiple sources of conflict, this film has something to draw in any type of viewer, and provides a new experience on every revisit. Watching the two lead characters’ completely different atmospheres and lifestyles gracefully collide is unique and fascinating. This film also makes perfect use of its unlikely home somewhere between being incredibly graphic, and simultaneously shockingly reflective on the human experience.

One of the (very) few aspects that brings this film down is its run time. For clocking in at almost two hours and forty minutes long, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo makes very little effort to pick up the speed of its story. However, it has such a strong narrative that its exceedingly long duration almost goes unnoticed by the viewer.

3. Gone Girl

This adaptation of the novel by Gillian Flynn is a gripping case told from alternating points of view. Fincher expertly balances the multiple timelines and tones of Gone Girl by interspersing ethereal sequences of the Dunne’s early relationship and glimpses into their tumultuous fallout, throughout the encircling police investigation that follows the film’s inciting incident. Moreover, the film’s reveal comes at a perfect point; allowing it to play into the second half of the story while still retaining the quality of surprise.

Fincher was the ideal director to explore the complicated, enthralling character of Amy Dunne. The lines between protagonist and antagonist are precisely blurred beyond recognition. Fincher’s portrayal of Amy is smart, calculating, and deceitful, crafting a perfect web for both Nick Dunne and the viewer to fall in.

2. The Social Network

I am immensely relieved to not be a Facebook user whenever I revisit The Social Network and its consistent pull. His first (and only) film working with Aaron Sorkin, there is a flawless balance of steady visual storytelling and intense, stylized dialogue. The Social Network is clean and fast-paced, cut down to only the essential events. Its themes of jealousy, greed, and success are heightened by stellar performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield and an Oscar-winning score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, (who would later collaborate with Fincher again on Gone Girl and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). This movie defined the 2010s, and it holds up as one of Fincher’s masterpieces.

1. Fight Club

Putting its tarnished reputation aside, this film offers a truly fantastic satire on masculinity and consumerism. While my appreciation for Fincher’s other works has grown with time, my love for Fight Club was instantaneous. He braids the droning cubicle lifestyle and pure hysteria so tightly that its satirical bend is heavily masked, making it open to a multiplicity of interpretations. This film brings something new to the table with each rewatch. Fight Club is funny. Fight Club is disturbing. Fight Club is whatever it wants to be.