Top 10 Best David Fincher Movies

Fincher’s feature-length directorial debut was the third instalment of the “Alien” film series, a franchise which getting into is risky business in itself. Panned by critics, the project was a mess from the get-go, with various screenwriters and directors signing on before he got the project. Not to mention that studio interference prevented him from preparing for the helm of the project. Regardless, the sci-fi horror made over $100 million internationally and received an Oscar nod for Best Visual Effects. Nobody expected much from Fincher following “Alien 3,” but little did they know that an auteur filmmaker was in the works. Even though his directorial career got off to a rocky start, Fincher has proven time and again his unquestionable talent.

Starring Jodie Foster and a very young Kristen Stewart, this thriller was inspired by news coverage about real panic rooms. After a mother and daughter’s home gets invaded by burglars, they are forced into the safe room, but are completely cut off from the outside world because the telephone lines are also cut off. The women’s sense of entrapment was further reinforced through the use of special computer effects that made it appear as though the camera was moving through the rooms. “Panic Room” may have received mixed reviews, but Fincher brilliantly tackles feminism, video surveillance, and mortality in it, and it was also a commercial success overseas.

Inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, this fantasy drama marked an unexpected turn for Fincher into a decidedly more romantic category. Benjamin Button is born with wrinkles and the ailments of a very, very old man. He grows up in a nursing home, where he meets Daisy, the granddaughter of one of the home’s residents. The two grow up in their respective paths, only being able to be together in the middle of their lives when they are both physically resembling a similar age. It is one of the most touching love stories in cinema, marking Fincher’s third collaboration with Brad Pitt and his first Oscar nomination for directing.

When this Swedish book series came out, everyone you knew was reading it. The dark title itself had the power to draw people in, not to mention the occasionally debated circumstances of the death of the autho, whose books were published posthumously. It just sounds like the stuff Fincher’s dreams are made of. Starring Rooney Mara with a no-eyebrows-and-raven-haired-punk look, the film is another example of Fincher’s love for women with strong morals and kick-ass intelligence. It is also arguably his most stylishly executed work, earning Mara an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Often hailed by critics as one of Fincher’s all-time best, this mind thriller might make you a little paranoid. When a banker receives a strange gift for his birthday – participation in a game that involves his everyday life in bizarre ways – he finds himself the victim of a series of elaborate pranks. An excellent dark thriller, this mystery flick marked the grounds for Fincher’s penchant for mind games – a theme he later explored in “Fight Club” and “Gone Girl.”

What is that you say? Marriage is too boring to be the topic of a high-paced mystery thriller? Well, think again. When his wife disappears, bar owner Nick Dunne finds the spotlight turned on him. The media examines his every move as he tries desperately to appear concerned about his missing partner. Did he kill her? Is the question that’s only everyone’s minds. Fincher once again deals with a brainy female protagonist [spoiler?] and successfully tackles the dark side of humans in this movie. This heart-racing thriller is also a fascinating examination on how the media portray[s] crisis, turning every story into tabloid material.

It’s OK if you’re a Fincher fan who still hasn’t seen this cult classic [but you should get on that ASAP!]. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play homicide detectives investigating a serial killer whose signature style is to murder his victims according to the seven deadly sins. Fincher combined horror and crime thriller to perfection here, creating a film that may turn your stomach but that you can’t take your eyes off of either. Becoming a box office smash and garnering critical acclaim, “Seven” has also pushed more directors to make movies that can make people think as well as cash in big.

Who hasn’t heard of Fight Club? Technically, if you know what its first two rules are, then no one should have heard of it, but the fact that so many people actually DO know of it serves to show the cult following this drama inspired. By far Fincher’s most quoted and fan-celebrated film, “Fight Club” is also a powerful social satire. The narrator is bored of his job, and has a strange obsession with IKEA. He’s a social outcast so desperate to relate to others that he goes to various support groups he doesn’t really belong to. Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the movie is arguably more popular than the book these days, which is a rare thing.

As if “Seven” wasn’t enough, Fincher felt he had to make another movie about a serial killer. Based on the real-life story of the notorious Zodiac killer, the story of this mystery thriller follows a San Francisco cartoonist who becomes obsessed with tracking down the murderer. In addition to the killer cast, which includes Jake Gyllenhaal, pre-“Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo, the fact that this case still hasn’t been solved to this day adds to the movie’s lasting appeal.

Few probably thought that a movie about the creation of Facebook would ever be worthwhile. And many were shocked that Fincher, of all people, would helm a project about it. But once again, the director proved naysayers wrong and “The Social Network” was rewarded by countless organizations (except the always conservative Academy) as 2010’s Best Picture. The “Social Network” was an exquisitely directed and well-cast film about friendship, something only Fincher could concoct with such success. And the story itself had enough drama to make things thrilling, unforgettable and number one on our list.
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