A Complete Review of David Fincher's work

Cast : Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton

What was it about?
After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

My two cents:
First of all, I respect the fact that ‘Mank’ was a critical success but, in my opinion, this story did sound so much more interesting. Indeed, I loved the concept and, since it had been a passion project for David Fincher for about 20 years, I was hoping for something really amazing. Well, unfortunately , the damned thing turned out to be rather disappointing after all. I mean, it wasn’t a bad movie, I loved the 1st chapter, Michael Fassbender was pitch-perfect and, as expected with Fincher, the mood was really neat. Unfortunately, everything happening after this 1st chapter turned out to be such a generic revenge tale. Seriously, in spite of Fassbender’s solid performance and Fincher’s expert directing, nothing really noteworthy or surprising or really entertaining happened until the very end. In my opinion, there was also a major flaw in this story. Indeed, a major thing was that the killer had, so far, a 100% success rate which was impressive and actually possible. However, their logic seemed to be that ALL hitmen and women should have such a perfect killing rate, otherwise, they would have to be eliminated but it didn’t make sense. Indeed, in this line of work, sure, you have to be as efficient as possible but it has to happen sometimes that things go south ways, that’s inevitable. In fact, it doesn’t really matter, the end-result was just terribly generic, predictable and hardly fascinating to behold after all. Still, even if it turned out to be slightly disappointing, it was a decent watch though.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Gary Oldman, Lily Collins, Amanda Seyfried

What was it about?
1930's Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

My two cents:
Unfortunately, even though I really admired the work done, to be honest, I can’t say I was really blown by the end-result though. I mean, as usual with David Fincher, it was visually really impressive and I loved the way he tried to reproduce the vibe of a movie from the same time period. Furthermore, Herman Mankiewicz was an interesting character and Gary Oldman gave another really strong performance. In fact, the first issue was already the fact that, beside Mankiewicz, none of the other characters were developed whatsoever. However, the biggest problem was that, even though this movie was obviously a passion project for Fincher (it was even written by his father years ago), it was interesting at best but never really fascinating, I’m afraid. In a sense, you could compare it to ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ which was basically Tarantino’s love songs to the end-60’s Hollywood, in this case, Fincher brought us back to the 1930's Hollywood with his meticulous attention to the details but, just like with Tarantino’s acclaimed opus, I just didn’t care much like they both did. Furthermore, concerning the conception of ‘Citizen Kane’, it didn’t go really deep after all. I mean, basically, Mankiewicz locked himself up in some lodge in the middle of nowhere and delivered one of the best screenplays ever written, that’s it. Anyway, even if I didn’t care much the material, it was still another fine directing effort by David Fincher.

My rating: 07/10

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It was actually directed by various other directors. David Fincher has produced this series and did direct an episode for season 2.

Even though this TV-show didn't seem to get much love from the critics, since the concept sounded pretty cool, I was still eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it seems that the critics didn't get at all the point of this project. I mean, sure, the stories were not really amazing but it was never the goal here. Indeed, the point was more to display some shorts using many different styles of animation and some of them were just quite gorgeous. Furthermore, it was just really refreshing to see some animated features with some adult contents for once. Anyway, all in all, I thought it was a nice experiment and you can say whatever you want about Netflix but it is pretty neat that they make such experimental projects possible.

Cast : Anna Torv, Lena Olin

What was it about?
In the late 1970s two FBI agents expand criminal science by delving into the psychology of murder and getting uneasily close to all-too-real monsters.

My two cents:
Even though the movies delivered by Netflix have been only decent at best, they still deliver some of the best TV-shows right now and this one was also pretty awesome. Just like with 'House of Cards', David Fincher did direct the 2 first episodes but in this case, he also direct the last 2 episodes of the 1st season and the damned thing just looked amazing. On top of that, it is just a fascinating and realistic show with some really interesting characters so I really loved the damned thing.

My rating: 09/10

Cast : Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Patrick Fugit

What was it about?
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.

My two cents:
Well, once again,  Fincher came with a really original work and I'm actually surprised that it is actually so popular since it is far from being a maintream feature. Indeed,  it is probably his weirdest movie since 'Fight Club' with so many layers that I will probably keep thinking about it for many days.  The first layer is obviously a thriller about a man who might have killed his wife. Than, the second layer is a really pitch black comedy about an average guy who gets involved in this very weird media circus. This combination was already pure genius and like 'The Wolf of Wall Street', it was rather unexpected but very much welcome. Obviously,  it goes even further and it becomes this really weird study about how married life can make you think and or do the weirdest thing, even if in this case, it becomes pretty extreme but it was obviously all on purpose. To be honest,  I'm not sure that everything really did work but it was still a really good flick.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright, Kate Mara

What was it about?
A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.

My two cents:
For some reasons, my wife thought it would be a good idea to offer me Netflix for Sinterklaas (some kind of Dutch Santa Claus). Anyway, the first thing I decided to watch on the streaming service was this show and I have to admit that I was seriously impressed. Indeed, I just loved the material and the tone was just pitch-perfect. Furthermore, the cast, especially Kevin Spacey, was really good here. Eventually, the first two seasons were some of the very best stuff I have seen in the TV-series format. However, the quality of this TV-show dropped drastically from the 3rd season though. Indeed, in my opinion, the main issue was that Frank Underwood's rise to power was actually too fast. Basically, by the end of the 2nd season, the guy was already President of the United States so how could he possibly go beyond this point? Well, from this point on, they came up with some ideas showing how he would maintain his position but most of it was rather ludicrous, I'm afraid. And, obviously, the fact that, before the making of the 6th and finale season, Kevin Spacey turned out to be a major creep throughout most of his adult life pretty much tarnished forever the reputation of Netflix very 1st TV-show.

My rating: 08/10

Cast : Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic

What was it about?
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

My two cents:
I found it really difficult to judge this movie... It has 'The Departed' syndrom all over it. I mean, it is a completely unnecessary remake of a movie which was already perfectly fine in the first place. What makes it even worse is that the first version was released only 2 years before and this 'new' version was way too similar to the first one. Still, if you put those facts aside, it is and remains a damned fine and entertaining thriller. First of all, congrats for Rooney Mara. I was really sceptical when I heard that she would portray Lisbeth Salander but her performance was more than convincing. Eventually, Salander remains one of the most fascinating characters ever created and the story was still really spellbinding. So, even though it is a completely unnecessary remake, even though it is not better than the first version, it was still really good nonetheless.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones

What was it about?
Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking website that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.

My two cents:
I thought it would be good but it was much better than that ! It was f*cking awesome !!! It is rather funny that when the rumors came out that David Fincher was making a movie about Facebook, many people started to trash him (check the boards on IMDB). Indeed, an average director would have made an average flick with this material. But Fincher succeeded in making one of the best movies of the year. It is quite an achievement. I remember it perfectly, I went to see this my wife in the theater and, after just 5 minutes, just after the break-up between Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara, I was already hooked. I seriously don't care if Mark Zuckerberg is actually a completely different person in real life, the Mark Zuckerberg they showed in this movie was just fascinating and easily one of the best characters I have ever seen in any movie.

My rating: 09/10

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Cast : Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Elias Koteas, Jason Flemyng, Taraji P. Henson, Elle Fanning

What was it about?
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

My two cents:
Ever since this movie was released, I was really dying to watch it. I missed it when it was released and eventually bought it on DVD, expecting to watch a modern masterpiece but guess what? I thought it was eventually rather disappointing. I mean, it is not a bad movie, not at all, it is actualy pretty good, it looked gorgeous and the actors were great aswell but what was eventually the point of all this ?!? The movie starts with a guy born old and... that's about it! During 3 hours, there is not much discussion about the implications of this predicament, about his feelings and his thoughts or the feelings and thoughts of the people around him. So, I thought it was rather underwhelming. Basically, the whole movie is based on this, on the fact that the character grows younger but, in my case, that wasn't enough. I wanted a real story involving this man or some great characters, one of those two. To conclude, in my opinion, even though it remains a good movie, it still belongs to the overrated work made by Fincher.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, Chloë Sevigny, Elias Koteas

What was it about?
A San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer.

My two cents:
In my opinion, it is easily one of the most underrated movies made by David Fincher. Somehow, it was a flop at the box-office but I think it was really undeserved. In my opinion, Fincher had grown since he made 'Seven' 12 years before and made this time around one of the most fascinating serial-killer movies ever made. I mean, the amount of details to create the time period was just mind-blowing, the cast was just perfect and the whole thing was just downright fascinating. This time, the focus was not really put on the psychopath himself but on the people obsessively chasing him and I really enjoyed this approach. Basically, Fincher tried to make a cerebral thriller and it seemed that the audience simply punished him as they would rather not think for 3 hours and would rather have some serviceable serial-killer flick with a preposterous plot and some annoying twist(s) at the end.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto

What was it about?
A woman and her teenage daughter become imprisoned in the panic room of their own house by 3 criminals.

My two cents:
It is obviously David Fincher's weakest effort so far. I mean, the die-hard fans could argue otherwise, but there was nothing really amazing about this movie and even Fincher himself described it, at some point, as a low-budget B-film. Of course, it is not bad at all. The whole thing looked terrific, I wouldn't expect less from such a director, and it was still rather entertaining. The point is that there is, this time, in contrary to all the other movies made by Fincher, an obvious lack of ambition to make something else, something brilliant, and as a result you end up with a solid but still rather generic thriller.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto

What was it about?
An insomniac office worker looking for a way to change his life crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker and they form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more...

My two cents:
I know, it might surprise you, but indeed, I gave this movie a perfect 10. It is something I rarely do but, in my opinion, this movie is just really flawless. I have seen it again recently and just like when I saw it in the theater when it was released, I was once again blown away. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it even more this time around. Indeed, back in 1999, there was this very misleading marketing strategy focusing on the fighting when the movie had actually much more to offer. This time, I could watch it with a fresh mind and I completely connected with it. It is simply visually amazing, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton gave some of their best performances, it is really entertaining and fun to watch but also so thoughtful. In my opinion, you shouldn't see it as some kind of philosophic feature but as the description of a really disturbed mind who happens to have a few interesting ideas and happens to be so charismatic that many people would actually follow him in his demented quest. Basically, I just love this movie.

My rating: 10/10

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Cast : Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger

What was it about?
Wealthy financier Nicholas Van Orton gets a strange birthday present from wayward brother Conrad: a live-action game that consumes his life.

My two cents:
I'm such a huge fan of this movie and, in my opinion, it is easily the most underrated movie made by David Fincher. It seems to be a trend in Fincher's career that some really amazing gems such as 'Zodiac' or this movie were barely noticed whereas some other lesser work, at least in my opinion, such as 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' for example were very well received. Anyway, coming back to our main subject, I really loved this movie. Once again, you have the same great Fincher visuals but, this time, there was a real depth in this story, dealing with what people needs in their life when they have reached all their goals or how far are we ready to go to be entertained. Of course, there are some obvious plot holes but the sheer ambition behind this project managed to make me forget about those. At this point, 'Fight Club' is my favorite Fincher feature but this one is great as well, and remains just behind at the second spot.

My rating: 9/10

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Cast : Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey

What was it about?
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi.

My two cents:
I know, it is rather weird that, even though I'm a huge fan of David Fincher's work, I don't really like what is supposed to be his best movie. First of all, I want to make something clear, I don't think it is a bad movie, not at all. As a matter of fact, there are many things to enjoy in this flick. Indeed, it looks terrific, the mood is awesome, the cast was really good and it is definitely an entertaining movie. However, in my opinion, there is nothing really amazing about the story. Yes, it is entertaining but also really shallow. Basically, it is a basic thriller with an omnipotent serial-killer who knows everything, controls everything and has apparently an unlimited budget. I'm sorry but I never really cared for this genre and even though it is indeed one of the best in this category, it just played along with the formula without adding much anything really new or interesting to it. At least, that's my opinion and I think it is one of the most overrated movies ever made.

My rating: 6/10

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Cast : Sigourney Weaver, Lance Henriksen

What was it about?
Ripley continues to be stalked by a savage alien, after her escape pod crashes on a prison planet.

My two cents:
David Fincher's directing career had a rather rough start. Indeed, his first gig was to make a sequel after the massive classics directed respectively by Ridley Scott and James Cameron. The end-result was not well received with above all a really messy constantly changing script. Fincher himself eventually disowned the film, citing constant studio interference and, apparently, wasn't even involved in the editing. Personally, I actually like this flick. Of course, it is nothing really amazing but I really liked the dark mood and it was visually pretty impressive. The main issues concerning the sequels, even 'Aliens', is that they are all basically some reboot of the first movie. Indeed, the story is actually always the same: Ripley ends up somewhere being chased by some aliens, that's it. What remains is the personal touch brought by the director and Sigourney Weaver's awesome charisma. So, even though this flick didn't get much love, I still like it even though it is indeed pretty messed up.

My rating: 07/10

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