#7
Panic Room
(2002)
I place Panic Room just slightly above The Game largely because I think it works a little bit better on a whole. This film, however, is interesting in that it seems like it is the least discussed film of Fincher’s career… why is that?
Panic Room is by no means a perfect film, but the cinematography, editing and sound design are excellent. I rewatched it for the first time in a long time back in 2011 and took special note of these three elements of the film while also still being somewhat bothered by certain plot conceits, such as Sarah (Kristen Stewart) being diabetic, though Fincher makes good use of this cliche to serious dramatic effect.
By no means a great film, but one I actually wouldn’t mind seeing again in a theater to get the full cinematic effect. I also must say, I love those opening titles, which Fincher discusses in the film’s audio commentary (listen here).
#6
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
(2011)
This was a tough one for me as I think the fanboy side of me begins to show with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a film I’m sure many believe hardly needs to exist, doing very little to elevate the material above the Swedish adaptation starring Noomi Rapace that came before it, but I strongly disagree. I think Rooney Mara is a far better Lisbeth Salander than Rapace was and I think Fincher nails the mood of the material much better than the Swedish adaptation accomplished. That said, it is still the same story told in a little bit of a different way with a killer score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
My enjoyment of this film comes more out of seeing Fincher work with material he feels most comfortable working with rather than thinking he actually elevated the material in ways that made it entirely necessary. Nevertheless, it’s frustrating to know this film exists with the knowledge he’s unlikely to ever revisit the character and complete the trilogy… It’s hard not to think that lessens it somewhat as it’s a story that remains unfinished.
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#5
The Social Network
(2010)
I can’t say I went head over heels for The Social Network the way everyone else did. I highly respect and admire the film and any time I watch it I have no problem getting into it as the tremendous title sequence (see below) and opening scene pretty much locks the viewer in for the duration to the point you can’t get away from it. The further I get away from the hub bub that surrounded the film’s run for Best Picture, facing off against The King’s Speech, I find it easier to appreciate now that the hyperbole has died down to a dull roar. Does this film truly define a generation as was the critical quote that surrounded its marketing? I don’t think so, not in the least, but is it a compelling piece of dramatic cinema? Certainly.
#4
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(2008)
I think The Curious Case of Benjamin Button might be the most surprising piece of filmmaking in Fincher’s career. To me it is the most emotional and heartbreaking movie he’s ever made and it’s a film I revisited on Blu-ray a few months after first seeing it in theaters, nervous it wouldn’t live up to the lofty impression I had of it. My worries were unnecessary as this is a film I, thankfully, won’t ever tire of watching.
Fincher again gets a fantastic performance out of Brad Pitt and if it wasn’t for the old age makeup slathered on Cate Blanchett in the end it would be pretty close to a perfect film. Discussing the film with Playboy, Fincher says, “I’d never made a movie with that big a body count. Everybody dies. And the truth of the matter is everyone is going to die, yet we spend so much time ignoring that fact.” He’s then asked about the death that most affected him to which he says:
My father died in 2003, and I’d never been with someone when they died before. Almost all the decision-making I’d done in my life was in hopes of pleasing him or reacting against the things I felt he was shortsighted about. All of a sudden there was no north anymore, only south, east and west. When I read Eric Roth’s draft of the script, it felt as though it was talking about an experience I’d had. Everybody kept saying the character was a little passive, and I was like, “My dad was a little passive. People do go through their entire lives being passive.” Benjamin Button is a bit of a dirge. I thought it was beautiful. I thought it was an accomplishment.
With those last two lines I most certainly agree.
