Happy 61st birthday to my all-time favorite director, David Fincher. One of the best directors post 1990 was born on this day in 1962 in Colorado and to celebrate, he released a new poster for his upcoming film, The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender. That hits theaters in a limited release on October 27th and will be available to stream on Netflix on November 11th.

What draws me so much to Fincher and the reason he’s my favorite director is that he takes chances. His most successful films are psychological thrillers, but he’s gone out and made films far off that path with Mank and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He’s meticulous with his work and in interviews with actors who have worked with Fincher, they’ve stated that he attempts hundreds of takes of the same shot to capture the perfect moment for his films. Fincher is a genius and will go down as one of the most important and influential directors the world has ever seen.

To celebrate Fincher, I’ll be ranking all eleven of his feature films.

“Some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” – David Fincher

11. Alien 3 (1992)

Originally attached to direct Alien 3 was Ridley Scott, but when he caught wind of Alien vs Predator, he abandoned the project. Even though Scott removed himself, 20th Century Studios had sunk nearly $50 million dollars into the project and planned to still go through with it. They then picked Vincent Ward, but replaced him with Fincher. The studio just needed someone to essentially “sit in” to direct the film.

While the film isn’t terrible, it’s a studio creation and money grab that wasn’t needed. The visual effects are great, but there’s no originality or flare to it because the producers had such a stranglehold on it. If they trusted Fincher, I believe he could have churned out a decent installment of the franchise, but he instead had to make a film that he resents to this day. In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, Fincher said “No one hated it more than me; to this day, no one hates it more than me.” On the bright side, his career go a lot better following his directorial debut.

10. Mank (2020)

Now I don’t find Mank to be remarkably entertaining, but I did fall in love with the backstory behind his reasoning to make Mank. David Fincher’s father, Jack Fincher, wrote the biographical screenplay about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his development on the 1941 film, Citizen Kane. He originally intended on directing Mank after his 1997 film The Game, with Kevin Spacey and Jodie Foster set to star, but the studio was reluctant because Fincher wanted to shoot in black and white. Two decades later, Netflix granted him carte blanche to film Mank, casting Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried.

I personally don’t think that Mank has great pacing, but it chronicles an interesting story. Going as in depth as he did about a film that many regard as the greatest of all-time was absorbing. In addition, Gary Oldman gave one of his best career performances. I just couldn’t really immerse myself in Mank the same way I do his other films.

9. Panic Room (2002)

Looking at Panic Room in Fincher’s filmography is interesting. When I think of his career, I break it up into three eras. The first spanning from 1992-2002 with Alien 3, Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, and Panic Room. Era two being between 2007-2014 with Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl. In present day, we’re in the third Fincher era with Mank and The Killer releasing this year. To end his first era, Fincher releases an original thriller with Panic Room and it’s okay. I find it difficult to compare Panic Room to Se7en or Fight Club because of how influential they are, but Panic Room is a solid thriller.

He’s able to build many tense moments due to the claustrophobia effect. Fincher has said that Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Ridley Scotts Alien have inspired him and you can see that with Panic Room. The film takes place in one condensed apartment and panic room and that makes the viewer feel uncomfortable. He ends up working with Jodie Foster after the attempt of Mank and she’s great in it. He also teams up with Jared Leto again and I personally enjoyed him in Panic Room.

8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

I mentioned it in the introduction of the blog, but the reason I gravitate to Fincher as a film maker is because of his gumption to take risks. He was coming off Zodiac in 2007, a biopic that doubled as a psychological thriller, and then made a gut-wrenching film about life, love, and everything in between with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Much like Mank, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button isn’t quite my cup of tea, but he knocks it out of the park technically and casts Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt together who display electric chemistry.

The story is emotional when you see how Benjamin Button is abandoned, finds love even though he’s an outcast, and then changes throughout his life. One issue I do have is that I think the runtime is too long. I know that the story spans over the lifetime of Benjamin Button, but 166 minutes made me fall in and out of the film. It’s interesting to see that this was his second collaboration with Brad Pitt; his first being the satirical thriller Fight Club and then nine years later, the romantic drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

7. Gone Girl (2014)

I first watched Gone Girl in 2014 when it came out from the recommendation from my mom who loved the book. That was my first introduction to David Fincher and I didn’t even know it yet because when you’re 13 years old, you don’t care about directors. What I did know though, was this is a great movie. Returning to it when I was older felt like whirlwind because I grew to greatly appreciate the writing from Gillian Flynn and the sinister nature of Rosamund Pike’s character, Amy Dunne, who I believe is one of the greatest villains in film. She’s maniacal, sadistic, and genius all wrapped in a pretty face.

Many film fans would regard this as Fincher’s best film ever. I’m not as high on it as others, but I think it’s one of the 20 best films of the 2010s. I read that originally Jon Hamm was set to play Nick Dunne, but Ben Affleck plays the role perfectly. He’s smug and conveys an aura of arrogance that this character needed to posses for the storyline. I will say that even when I was young and saw this, my jaw was on the floor at the scene of Amy Dunne writing years worth of a journal in just a few days. An all-time great twist that made me question everything I knew.

6. The Game (1997)

Fincher fans and film fanatics in general don’t love The Game as much as I do. Yes, I understand that there are plot holes in it a mile wide, but it’s an entertaining and innovative thriller. Seeing Sean Penn playing a drunk and bombastic brother to a stuck up and wealthy banker, played by Michael Douglas, was enjoyable. I ate up every second of it. The two of them together were really great and I love when Michael Douglas plays a role like this. It was an extension of himself as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street, just a little more adventurous I suppose.

I mentioned it prior about the films’ plot holes, like the ending being very far-fetched, but I said it once and I’ll say it again, I liked it. The concept of the Consumer Recreation Services game essentially up ending a persons life and driving them crazy for the thrill was enthralling. If this were a real thing, I’d like to imagine I’d give it a try, but the first time I got a message on my television or was chased by people in riot gear, I’d snap. If you haven’t yet seen The Game, I recommend you stream it. It’s one of the great forgot gems of the 1990s.

5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)

I’ve written so much about my admiration for Fincher as a filmmaker, and something I really appreciate is that he doesn’t utilize gore in his thrillers to drive a point home. The closest he gets to that and most uncomfortable I’ve ever been watching a Fincher film came in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. When Rooney Mara’s character, Lisbeth Salander gets raped, I squirm. Then, when she rightfully gets revenge by raping and tattooing “I’m a rapist pig” across Bjurmans chest, I squirm even more. While I feel uneasy, these moments are vital to the plot of the film. The noir cinematography of the film and snowy backdrop create an eerie film as well.

Plot-wise, I enjoy that our main two protagonists never really cross paths until about 45 minutes into the film. They’re on two different paths that are heading towards one another and eventually collide. Seeing Daniel Craig, one of my favorite actors of all-time, work with Fincher was fun, but Rooney Mara steals the show. She had a minimal part in The Social Network and proves she’s a star in this film. Much like The Game, I think this film falls under the radar in Finchers filmography. If you haven’t seen it, definitely seek it out, but it’s not exactly for the faint of heart.

4. Fight Club (1999)

“An entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.“

Once we’ve hit this point of the countdown, it’s five stars. “No changeup, no curveball. Nothing but fucking gas.” There’s something magical about watching Fight Club. Not magical in the way of going to Disney World, but magical in the way that it’s a wake-up call of sorts. Tyler Durden’s speech about living in the age of television and wanting to be a millionaire was powerful. The film acts as a satire poking fun at men. Fincher and Chuck Palahniuk delve into the intricacies of toxic relationships and masculinity by setting unattainable standards for men in Fight Club, while also sliding in undercurrents of closeted homosexuality. On the surface, Fight Club is a gritty film about guys being dudes. Underneath that thought is much more.

Past that, Fight Club features my favorite needle drop ever. Hearing Where Is My Mind? by the Pixies play as the towers fall was mystical. It’s beautiful and tragic all at once.

Also, I added this fun picture from the set of Fight Club. I hope you find this as funny as I do.

3. Zodiac (2007)

Since getting into movies, the toughest debate I’ve had with myself has surrounded two 2007 films — Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood and David Finchers Zodiac. I’ve gone back and forth between which one of those is the best film of the 2000s decade. Right now, because it’s Fincher’s birthday, I’m picking Zodiac. But my mood could change in an hour. There’s so much genius packed into Zodiac and I’d like to start with the cast. Casting Robert Downey Jr. in the midst of his drug rehab stint was ballsy. He could’ve easily dropped the project or been manic because of this, but he killed his role. Jake Gyllenhaal was around his early peak coming off Brokeback Mountain and Jarhead along with Mark Ruffalo coming off small roles in films like Collateral and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Everyone played their role masterfully.

While this is a biopic about the Zodiac Killer, Fincher makes it feel like a horror movie. Not many seasons have stuck with me and tormented my dreams the same way in which the basement scene at the end of the film did. That along with all of the Zodiac Killers’ kills were evil and built a boat load of tension. I think this film might also incorporate Finchers best cinematography. The landscapes of the city and lightning used to create suspense were utilized greatly. Zodiac was the third highest budget film Fincher directed and made almost double.

2. The Social Network (2010)

I have a biopic from Fincher at number three and I have one here at two. There are so many fantastic aspects about The Social Network that make it great. To start, the score is in my opinion the best in cinematic history. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who are frequent collaborators of Fincher, make an unreal soundtrack that’s better than anything Hans Zimmer has made. Then there’s the script, written by Aaron Sorkin, that encapsulates the building of Facebook in a concise and cut-throat manner. The Social Network has the best script, score, and is maybe the best film of the past decade.

Jesse Eisenberg gives a really solid performance, but the two who steal the show are Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake. Garfield was great because of how emotional he became when he realized how Eisenberg shut him out of “The Facebook”. “And I’ll bet what you hated the most was that they identified me as a co-founder of Facebook, which I am. You better lawyer up asshole, because I’m not coming back for 30%, I’m coming back for EVERYTHING.” And then there was Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker. He played an unreal weasel who hides his past failures with a false bravado. What a picture. What an unreal picture.

1. Se7en (1995)

To quote Antony Starr in The Boys, the first time I saw Se7en, “It was perfect.” A truly mind boggling experience that altered the chemistry of my brain and made me fall in love with movies.

In the past, I’ve written deep in depth about why this is the perfect film and I’m out of words to say how great it really is. The entire stories originality and tension make for, what I believe, to be the best thriller film of all time. I still contend to this day that it has the greatest ending in cinema history.

The casting of Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt were really excellent as they played off one another very nicely. The veteran-young gun dynamic is always one that works, but now you pair two of the best actors ever together in this with (the disgraced) Kevin Spacey and I’m hooked. I’ve already recommended a handful of Fincher films, but if you haven’t seen this one yet, you need to. It’s an absolute must watch. Thank you for this gift, David Fincher.