The 41st Best Director of All-Time: David Fincher

The Killer (2023)

Notes:

For the purpose of this review whenever I write “The Killer” I am referring to the film’s main character played by Michael Fassbender since his actual name is never revealed

Does anyone do the opening credits better than Fincher? This is a throwback to Seven (1995) especially with the disturbing images and stylized graphics

Chapter 1 Paris / The Target

Michael Fassbender as the title character narrates from the inside of an apartment unit
3:43 elevated POV shot through open window at top of apartment building, showing The Killer’s tactical advantage over his mark
6:15 overhead shot of narrow staircase as The Killer briefly leaves the room
9:10 beige hat resembles fedora and beige jacket blends in with interior of apartment
13:00 some great dark humor as The Killer ponders about the ways he kills “When was my last, nice, quiet drowning?”
14:40 green/yellow glare and dissolve
17:04 high angle shots reinforce his tactical advantage
19:16 Killer’s face and sniper riffle taking up entire frame
21:24 the first time a shot is fired after all that build up
23:27 high angle shot of aftermath with police and security arriving at scene
25 min The Killer forensic countermeasures
29:39 carefully placed objects within hotel room showing ultra cautious nature

Chapter 2: Dominican Republic/The Hideout
31:23 overhead shot as The Killer driving through long road near in tropical area
33:56 dark clouds as foreshadow
35 min The Killer’s girlfriend injured in hospital, humanizing the protagonist who thus far is shown as a loner who shows little to no emotion
40:11 The Killer as silhouette image standing in alley
43:01 over shoulder shot
43:10 internal narration with The Killer repeating professional mantras

Chapter 3 The Lawyer

52:24 camera focused on The Killer’s face as he calmly
53:49 venetian blinds in dimly lit office
54:30 Hodges is unfazed by The Killer showing up point a gun around
56:44 power dynamics with close low and high angle shots between The Killer and Hodges
58:13 mantra repeated
1:03:03 The Killer kidnaps the Lawyers Assistant and successfully gets vital financial information
1:05:37 dark shadow covers The Killers face so he is merely outline during night
1:06:33 pink/blue skyline as The Killer washes the white van he’s been driving

Chapter 4: Florida/The Brute

1:07:34 overhead shot
1:10:00 neon lit signs outside strip club
1:12:48 silhouette image of The Killer with yellow/green fog surrounding him

Chapter 5: New York/The Expert

1:21:26 Grand Central
1:23:21 over the shoulder shot and car window as frame with deep focus
1:25:10 Tilda Swinton as “The Expert” a fellow assassin
1:25:55 silhouette close up profile shot with shallow focus and blurry red light
1:27:00 The Killer enters dimly lit restaurant, The Waterfront,
1:28:04 “you would be very impolite to refuse to join in my last supper” Swinton’s character is awesome
1:33:08 The Killer remains unblinking throughout
1:33:52 The Killer repeats mantra before murder

Chapter 6: Chicago/The Client

1:41:21 splitting of frame inside locker room with Client on right and The Killer on the left
1:46:12 face to face between The Client and The Killer in the Clients expensive downtown apartment
1:49:23 subverts expectations and does not kill The Client, instead merely threatens

Epilogue

1:50:50 The Killer returns to his girlfriend’s place and film ends

Thoughts:

This is an impressive film start to finish but the opening 21 minutes is unbelievable. It is set primarily in a small dimly lit apartment unit, features no spoken dialogue aside from internal narration from Michael Fassbender’s character who is referred to as The Killer. There is minimal action, little in the way of story/plot, and no interactions between characters…and yet it is absolutely riveting building up suspense while Fassbender wows you with an incredibly focused yet dryly amusing performance
This film is well directed but the performance from Fassbender is impeccable (the best of 2023 in my opinion aside from Civilian Murphy in Oppenheimer). Fassbender excels in these roles as evident from his collaborations with Steve McQueen, especially Shame (2011), in which he plays

The film certainly has narrative and stylistic similarities to Melville’s Le Samouraï (1967). Both of the leads, Alain Delon and Michael Fassbender play taciturn characters, however, Fassbender’s character has the internal narration giving access to his steam of conscious thoughts consisting of a combination of philosophical musings, facts, statistics, and even pop culture references amongst other thought ideas that cross his mind

Amusingly filled with pop culture references, Popeye the sailor, The Green River Killer Gary Ridgeway, McDonalds, John Wilkes Booth, Storage Wars TV Show, etc. The Killer uses the names of Sitcom characters as his various aliases, he seems to get a kick out of it

I love how meticulous this film is, the sequence following the failed Paris hit in the film’s opening Chapter shows The Killer immediately departing from the scene and using prearranged locations to change clothes and performing various forensic countermeasures in protecting himself being stopped or arrested by police

The film is impressive formally using the 6 Chapter Structure, repetition with the repeated mantras in each chapter in which The Killer reminds himself via internal narration to “forbid empathy” and “stick to the plan, don’t improvise” amongst other thoughts. The Killer is shown on planes at the end of each chapter on his way to his next job along with a joke about the various sitcom names he uses each time

The final chapter subverts expectations but the most exciting for me aside from the opening was Chapter 5 “The Expert” which features the great Tilda Swinton who does most of the talking in a great sequence at an upscale restaurant

Roger Ebert once hilariously wrote that there are more Hollywood films about hitmen than the actual population of real life hitmen.

This is a meticulously designed film

I am not there yet but this has MP potential

Verdict: MS

Gone Girl (2014)

Notes:

Starts with Ben Affleck voice over unsettling score and montage of small town in Missouri the film is mainly set in. Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne and Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne, his twin and co-owner of “The Bar”
3:31 smooth transition from the bar to flashback as Amy becomes narrator as she writes in her journal
4 min Fincher signature lighting at party where Nick and Amy meet, the dialogue is key here and throughout the film, full of wit and sarcasm
6:10 sugar storm with sugar truck sequence gives fantasy like element to film along with the hypnotic score including the repetition of the xylophone
12 min the lighting again signifies a prior timeline, here a Wedding Party with Nick proposes
16 min Detective Rhonda Boney and Officer James Galpin as lead investigators on the case
25:23 Nick in exact center of frame during first press conference, in between two identical Missing Person posters with Amy’s face
29:53 Nick enters his father’s house leading to alarm
31:26 Nick enters car and drives away with his face covered in shadow, as Detective Boney and Officer Galpin watch from background of frame; this is noticeable contrast as the first signs of suspicion emerge
35 min search center for Amy filled when Nick enters
37 min attractive woman makes shameless pass at uninterested Nick
39:40 Nancy Grace inspired character Missi Pyle on TV tearing apart Nick
42:20 POV of Nick scanning outside at night
42:44 Emily Ratajkowski as Andie, a young and attractive college student, enters the film as a student in one of the college writing courses Nick teaches, reveal of affair makes Nick less sympathetic
49:29 camera slowly zooms through dark room as Andie wakes up and leaves
52 min Tyler Perry is shockingly good as high priced defense attorney Tanner Bolt, makes entrance on TV show within the film
54:50 candlelit vigil showing off Fincher’s skills
57:33 harsh lighting, Nick’s face hidden by shadow
59:40 Nick violently smashes glass following confirmation of pregnancy, kicks out detectives
1:02:49 aerial shot capturing media circus even during the night, in suburban neighborhood
1:03:13 Nick’s face again covered by shadow
1:05:45 Nick fully engulfed by shadow and taking up most of frame, great reaction shot as face comes into light before revealing the shed filled with all the credit card purchases as score ramps up the danger
1:07:00 big reveal that Amy is still alive as she recounts, with corresponding images, her framing of Nick
1:10:05 haunting image of Amy slowly sinking toward bottom of whatever body of water
1:18:55 sugar storm scene from earlier only now from Amy’s POV as she watches Nick kissing Andie outside of bar in the same manner from earlier in the film
1:20:26 Tyler Perry as Tanner Bolt meeting Nick in person
1:22:03 dimly lit bar as Nick meets Tommy O’Hara, a previous victim of Amy’s
1:29:09 a rare miscast by Fincher but I don’t like Neil Patrick Harris in this role (though I think he is hilarious in comedies)
1:30:00 slow motion shot of Nick driving by “The Bar” which now has crowds in front
1:39:38 slow zoom out from increasingly frustrated Amy becoming silhouette. This followed by daytime shot of The Gateway Arch
1:43:03 shallow focus
1:51:01 low angle shot of Desi’s beautiful lake house
1:53:18 close up shot of Nick on TV in Desi’s house followed by a transfixed Amy in foreground of shot and Desi in background; great sequence showing Nick’s plan working
2:05:00 insanely brutal murder scene, incredible editing
2:06:28 overhead shot of Amy returning covered in blood and falling into Nick’s arms
2:07:09 incompetent FBI borders on parody
2:14:42 score building to crescendo as Nick sits in dark
2:17:00 Tanner Bolt leaves town
2:22:50 emotionally brutal scene between Nick and Margo who is devastated by the knowledge that Amy is pregnant, and Nick will not leave her
Bookend with Nick’s narration from opening

Thoughts:

Fincher with a dark dissection of a marriage that is part mystery, part thriller

The film has various themes including the nature of marriage, the way the media creates narratives and prioritizes them over truth, and even the nature of truth itself. The media angle is far from a novel concept, but it does have a different sort of vibe in the 24/7 social media world. The novel the film is based on is itself heavily based on the real life case of Scott Peterson who was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Lacey Peterson. There was a media circus for several months between the disappearance and the eventual arrest of Scott Peterson

Fincher’s lighting is key as always both for aesthetic value and also to distinguish the setting as the film moves through different timelines

Affleck’s face becomes increasingly hidden or partially covered by shadow as he becomes a suspect and faces increasing scrutiny from the Investigators

The editing in the murder sequence is amazing, it is a truly haunting scene with impeccable score building to a crescendo during brutal violence

The dialogue is so sharp here, perhaps the best of any Fincher film aside from The Social Network, the early scenes with a heavy dosing of meet cute. The sugar storm scene goes even further, it is almost fairy tale like

The score is just tremendous, in particular during the brutal murder sequence, the way it crescendo as Amy carries out a vicious attack

Affleck’s performance is effective partly because he leans into his real life persona in a way that will naturally both attract and disgust female fans, at times simultaneously. There is a scene in the film where an attractive woman shamelessly hits on him offering to make him a chicken Frito pie but lashes out when she realizes he is not interested. The first time I watched it I really had no idea whether or not he was guilty as he played the character in a way that really had you jumping back and forth.

Rosamund Pike gives an all time great performance as the villainous Amy Dunne. She is highly intelligent, manipulative, determined, vindictive, brutal, and ruthless. She is also an unreliable narrator of sorts, at least through the journal entries

I have no real complaints here, amazing screenplay, acting, direction, score, dialogue, visuals, etc.

Verdict: MP

The Social Network (2010)

Notes:

Starts with a shot of Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg sitting across table from Rooney Mara as Erica, his brief girlfriend, in an incredibly dimly lit barroom with the Fincher green/yellow color palette. The opening scene captures your attention as Zuckerberg speaks at supersonic speed covering numerous subjects but seems slightly oblivious to his dismissiveness toward his girlfriend at the time Erica until she breaks-up with him after he insults her.

5:22 opening credits following a riveting opening scene
9:50 tempo increase as parallel editing between Zuckerberg with his friends is crossed with a party at one of the exclusive clubs Mark cannot get into
13 min window as frame capturing Zuckerberg, Eduardo and their 2 buddies inside dorm room, zoom out of window to Harvard Frat Parties
14:16 montage of Zuckerberg’s immature game comparing girls from the campus which connects entire school regardless of social status
19:28 shallow focus with camera over Zuckerberg shoulders in foreground
30:58 narrator switches mid-sentence from lawyer to Winklevoss business partner as
31:20 extreme low angle shot of Eduardo
35:20 Eisenberg is really good at this, when he gets an idea in his head you can see the gears turning in his mind, again the physical mannerisms are so good
39:24 tracking shot into Winklevoss workout room
44:40 camera with constant movement
47:17 “it’s never finished its like fashion” so many great quotes
49:36 Zuckerberg in foreground with shallow focus and blurred face of the deposition lawyer in background as Zuckerberg is completely dismissive of his questions pointing out that it is raining, this scene is one of the best examples of Zuckerberg’s arrogance although it’s kind of awesome to watch
51:42 Eisenberg and Garfield in foreground on right side of frame with shallow focus on everyone else in the room, this when they are gaining popularity and attention of girls
52:12 impressive mise en scene with placement of yellow candles throughout bar/restaurant
57 min Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker makes his entrance
1:07:01 after dramatic entrance Sean Parker gets to meeting, dialogue cuts out and brief slow motion montage eating an drinking while Parker makes a strong impression of Zuckerberg
1:17:11 drunken try outs for Facebook
1:18:44 noticeable lighting change for first scene with Zuckerberg in California
1:21:10 switch to club sequence, neon lights and music
1:24:38 overhead shot to close up on faces of Winklevoss twins racing crew
1:47:20 tracking shot through 1 million member party, lighting near identical to opening bar scene
1:50:42 shallow focus in back and forth phone conversation between Zuckerberg and Parker
1:54:28 ends with Beatles song Baby you’re a Rich Man

Thoughts:

I watched this in theatres and had to actually be talked into it by a friend as a film about Facebook did not have a lot of appeal for me, I still had a lot to learn about Cinema at the time and put too much emphasis on the subject matter despite my love of Fight Club and Zodiac

The Social Network is basically flawless, it is excellent on every level especially the direction, screenplay, acting, score, and pacing. Timberlake as Sean Parker is introduced almost exactly halfway

There are so many great subtle moments you start to notice with repeat viewings, at 43:45 Zuckerberg states he approached Eduardo for the startup money rather than the Winkle twins because Eduardo was his best friend, there is a quick pan to an empty seat from Zuckerberg’s POV

The screenplay is one of the very best using a flashback structure and a told through multiple perspectives, although primarily Zuckerberg himself. It is as lean as possible, every scene serves a purpose

The opening scene captures your attention as Zuckerberg speaks at supersonic speed covering numerous subjects but seems slightly oblivious to his dismissiveness toward his girlfriend at the time Erica until she breaks-up with him after he insults her. This opening is effective in establishing Zuckerberg’s personality including his disposition, intelligence, and social awkwardness, amongst other traits

The camera is very active, this is a high energy film and a notable contrast from Fincher’s previous film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which used much less camera movement and was a much slower paced film. I love the camera movement and editing in the sequence early in the film with Zuckerberg and his buddies creating immature games is shown in parallel with the parties thrown by the most exclusive clubs at Harvard

There is a notable contrast between outside scenes which use natural light and inside sequences which use artificial light. Inside scenes include offices, court rooms (for disposition), dorm rooms, etc.

Shallow focus is used in several sequences where Mark Zuckerman is surrounded by people showing his nature as an introvert even though he is perfectly comfortable speaking to people he does not know, I do not really consider him to be socially awkward, at least based on this portrayal of him though I noticed a number of reviews described him that way

Jesse Eisenberg is an actor I have always been impressed with going back to The Squid and the Whale (2005) and he nails this, one of the very best performances of the decade for me. I mean he becomes Zuckerberg, he has with the tics, mannerisms, speech patterns. Physically he’s a close match, they are both listed at 5’7’’ and probably are not more than a few pounds different in weight. But it’s far more than just verisimilitude, Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg as a complex character. He is arrogant, dismissive of others, and cold at times but all this is partially neutralized by his insecure nature. He has biting sarcasm that is often rude but quite hilarious at times.

Andrew Garfield is phenomenal as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg’s best and apparently only friend at least at that time in his life. Justin Timberlake is terrific, apparently Sean Parker was impressed by the performance but said it was not remotely accurate in capturing Parker’s true self but said that he cannot really complain about being played by a sex symbol, hilarious. Timberlake has a bit of the young Tom Cruise cockiness in this role

While a films subjective matter is largely independent to its cinematic quality, The Social Network’s subject matter does give it a certain “movie of its generation” label

Verdict: MP

Fight Club (1999)

Notes:

Starts with stylized opening credits set to The Dust Brothers
2:11 close up with Edward Norton’s character “the narrator” with a gun in his mouth held by Brad Pitt’s character iconic character “Tyler Durden”
2:48 camera moving rapidly with green/blue color palette
3:59 shallow focus surrounding The Narrator who suffers from insomnia
5:12 camera panning 360 around Narrator’s apartment with imposed images of consumer culture
6:18 Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden appears for literally a second like a brief flash of light
11:02 blue frame with Narrator in his “cave”
12 min Marla, played by Helena Bonham Carter, joins self-help groups which bothers Narrator
12:15 best shot so far with Marla blowing out a puff from a cigarette in slow motion
14:48 nice foreground/background and shallow focus
20 min Narrator works in the insurance industry
22 min Tyler Durden appears seated next to Narrator on airplane
27:27 gas moving through Narrator’s apartment, great visuals effects
28:38 Narrator reaches out to Tyler after his apartment burns down
29:12 neon lit bar “Lou’s Tavern” with green, red, and purple
29:44 discussion on consumer culture with Tyler philosophizing about modern society’s obsession with materialism
31:03 shallow focus in bar making The Narrator and Tyler seem isolated despite being surrounded by group of people

32:24 freeze frame followed by Narrator explaining Tyler’s strange and disturbing behavior and personality
35 min the fighting begins in bar parking lot, as Narrator and Tyler start to hit each other and strangely enjoy it before returning to Tyler’s dilapidated building
38:10 pan counterclockwise
38:30 golfing at night
39:06 stacks of books/papers throughout the house, dimly lit
40:24 nice background/foreground work with Pitt talking in bathtub while smoking cigarette
40:42 fight club expanding
41:16 “Cornflower blue” Narrator’s fight club impacting his white collar job
41:48 great tracking shot as Tyler enters Lou’s bar like he owns the place, the neon lights are contrast to the drab palette so far
42:57 iconic “rules of fight club
47:33 great split of frame and foreground/background work
48:44 distorted images of Marla and Tyler having sex
49:21 blue/green palette from earlier returns when Marla takes first appearance
1:04:20 overhead shot following the acid burning
1:05:10 the narrator indirectly threatens his boss after getting confronted with the “rules of fight club” that he forgot to remove from the printer, the Narrator uses such high level detail in describing the weapons he would use
1:06:15 nice framing with extreme close ups during phone call, showing Narrator and Marla back and forth on phone in isolated shots
1:08:38 Bob from support groups in beginning of film, now returns and is revealed to be Fight Club member
1:10:40 great speech from Tyler
1:11:38 Lou of Lou’s Tavern shows up in basement of Fight Club revealing
1:12:15 Tyler responds to Lou directing them out to suggesting Lou joins the club, this entire sequence is hilarious as Tyler descends into madness scaring away Lou
1:14:52 Tyler commands room while sitting down
1:16:06 Narrator blackmails boss in hilarious way
1:17:07 great low angle shot of Narrator starting to harm himself
1:20:00 Project Mayhem begins, montage of reckless destruction
1:22:04 Tyler terrifies Store Clerk in attempt to motivate man into
1:24:45 close up on Tyler’s face with shaky camera
1:28:10 running Fight Club like a college fraternity complete with hazing
1:34:26 Tyler’s face inverted with POV shot from random guy
1:35:27 train noises muffled in background
1:36:12 amazing sequence with slow motion, blurry images, and rapid edits while noise crawls to a near halt reminding me of Raging Bull
1:38:00 shot inside of vehicle during rain, similar to scene early in Seven (1995) with Freemon and Pitt
1:42:34 Tyler gone
1:47:27 “his name his Robert Paulson”
1:49:00 the search for Tyler, but always a step behind
1:51:10 big reveal starts
1:53:00 Tyler reveals similar to The Sixth Sense which interestingly came out the same year, 1999
2:02:18 police officers actually are members of Fight Club
2:03:48 tracking shot leading to Narrator running through traffic
2:05:28 green/blue lighting
2:09:44 self-referential, opening scene
2:09:47 great shot with Tyler putting gun in Narrator’s mouth and huge glass window with blue tint
2:13:26 slow motion of smoke through Narrator’s mouth after shooting himself in the head
2:14:44 nice blocking
2:15:40 The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” playing as buildings collapse, Narrator now revealed to be Tyler holds hands with Marla as they calmly watch the destruction around them

Thoughts:

A box office failure with mixed reviews upon its release, yet this film endured thanks to a dedicated cult fan base and is now considered one of the best films of the 1990s by many

It does not really factor into my rankings, but this has become arguably Fincher’s most iconic film with undeniable pop culture presence; “First rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club. Second rule of fight club…”

Fincher’s trademark yellow/green lighting present throughout the film which takes place in a similar world to Seven (1995) even if the violence is not as extreme, the films atmosphere is similarly bleak and uses dulls color palettes with limited primary colors in emphasizing the Narrator’s mundane existence

Some great use of slow motion like the entrance of Carter’s character as she smokes a cigarette in a hyper stylized fashion. The visuals reinforce the themes related to the Narrator’s psychological state of mind as Fincher uses a combination of extreme close ups, low angles shots, slow motion, blurry images, etc.

There is an intentional visual contrast between the Narrator’s existence in the bland corporate world accompanied with whites and fluorescent green and his new life revolving around Fight Club and Project Mayhem which takes place in dark basements, dilapidated apartments, etc. There is also a noticeable difference in the extremely dull outfits worn by the Narrator vs Tyler’s flashy leather coats, expensive sunglasses, and bright colored robes

Shallow focus used in scenes with the Narrator and Tyler in public areas like bars or on the street showing them cut off from the outside world even when physically surrounded by people

The three leads; Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter are all phenomenal. Pitt’s role is the most iconic of the film and really, he is playing the epitome of cool with his confident nature and flashy clothing

Some great dark humor like the Narrator blackmailing his boss and some quotes from Carter’s character not to mention Marla and Narrator negotiating the splitting up of the support groups

The ending with The Pixies “Where Is My Mind?” playing could not be more perfect matching of song to what is occurring on the screen

Verdict: MP

Seven (1995)

Notes:
Starts with Morgan Freeman’s Somerset at a crime scene when Brad Pitt’s David Mills
1:15 Morgan Freemon as Lieutenant Sommerset played by Morgan Freemon
1:47 Detective Mills played by Brad Pitt
2:18 low angle tracking shot
3:57 close up on ticking clock as Sommerset lies in bed alone
4:20 Fincher does the opening credits better than most, montage of disturbing images with fast tempo music from Howard Shore
6:26 Mills wakes up in bed next to his wife played by Gwyneth Paltrow
8:00 rain of course, appropriate from the film’s dark mood
8:54 Sommerset and Mills enter dark building as crime scene
12:27 blue light from their flashlights, green/yellow silhouette
12:54 camera captures Mills and Sommerset in isolated shots inside dimly lit car during rainstorm
15 min the great R. Lee Ermey as police captain
15:44 switch to wide angle lens capturing entire office with Somerset on left side of frame, Mills on far right slumped over in chair, and the captain in background of frame behind office, the placement of the 3 characters speaks volumes
17:18 maybe best shot of film so far with low angle silhouette image with huge glass window in background of the frame
18:38 symmetrical shot
19:16 high angle surveillance camera shot, office that is now crime scene with “greed” written in blood on the floor
20:50 close up on Sommerset
27:08 tracking shot of Summerset in library
28:30 a couple minutes Summerset reading yet still cinematic with impressive editing with dissolves and back and forth between Summerset’s face and images of the books he’s looking through with some parallel editing showing Mills at his house
28:55 high angle shot with beautiful green lights placed throughout the library
29:29 aerial shot of city
31 min brown/black/gray mise en scene
34 min Gwyneth Paltrow makes appearance as wife of David Mills, she invited Sommerset for dinner to see her husband’s new partner
37:00 the reserved Sommerset bursts out laughing at train
39:18 reflection of crime scene photo in Sommerset’s eyeglasses shown in close up
45:11 intense royal blue color heavily saturated in print lab scene
50:56 low angle shot of narrow staircase as Swat Team enter
53:10 “sloth” written on crime scene
54 min even by the standards of this film this sequence is disturbing and grotesque
1:08:48 John Doe, who is later revealed to be played by Kevin Spacey, makes entrance in deep background of frame as he takes shots at Sommerset and Mills before running off
1:13:50 John Doe inverted shadow in puddle
1:14:12 incredible image of John Doe blurry shadow stretching across the frame with gun on left side of frame pressed up on head of Mills who is offscreen briefly
1:19:09 red lighting in photo room
1:20:03 low angle trunk shot
1:20:24 photograph of an earlier scene in the film
1:34:35 tracking shots
1:34:52 “detective!!!!” John Doe with Kevin Spacey visible for the first time, Doe is covered in blood and has fingertips cut off
1:36:50 Doe gives his special instructions through his lawyer
1:40:30 Sommerset and Mills shown in close ups as they put on a wire and dress in preparation for escorting John Doe, tension ramping up
1:41:27 overhead shot of helicopter following the police vehicle
1:41:43 overhead tracking shot
1:50:27 long shot
1:50:57 architecture as character way out in desert area surrounded by towers
1:52:23 binocular shot
1:53:37 low angle shot with blue sky in background of frame with white glare from sun
1:56:24 tension filled to the max, incredible suspense building
1:59:53 close ups on faces of three characters one at a time shown in isolated frames
2:00:21 low angle shot with tower in background separating Mills and Sommerset as Mills executes John Doe after horrifying revelation
2:01:48 ends with Sommerset’s narration of a great Ernest Hemingway quote, magic hour as film ends

Thoughts:

Fincher has been a favorite of mine for years, actually surprised it has taken me this long to get to him, but here we go:

Fincher turns on the opening credits into an art form with the hyper stylized graphics. Similar to PT Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997) this is technically not Fincher’s debut, but it is certainly his breakthrough

This is an atmospheric film; the mood is dark throughout and this is achieved in several ways starting with the fact that much of the film takes place in dimly lit areas including crime scenes, insides of cabs and police cars, constant raining, lack of primary colors for much of the film, drab color palettes

Serial Killer fascination has reached peak level in the last 10-20 years, this is not the first film to focus on serial killers, Manhunter (1986) was one of the first and of course Silence of the Lambs (1991) was a landmark film. Still, it should be noted that this is one of the earlier serial killer films and certainly one of the very best

Some great imagery right from the opening credits. Around 17:18 features an immaculate silhouette image as the DA approaches the press. Another choice shot at 39:18 reflection of crime scene photo in Sommerset’s eyeglasses shown in close up. An even more impressive shot occurs at 1:14:12 with an image of John Doe blurry shadow stretching across the frame with gun on left side of frame pressed up on head of Mills who is offscreen briefly. At this point Doe is still a boogey man and that is exactly what this image is.

The final 15-20 minutes features some incredible aerial shots from POV of a police helicopter. You have architecture as character with the towers and a series of incredible, low angle shots straight from Orson Welles. Speaking of which the landscape during the final stretch as well as the color palette and lighting is all a distinct and noticeable contrast to the rest of the film which takes place in an unnamed city with rain in every outside scene

This features 4 terrific performances; Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Ranking is tricky since Kevin Spacey is so incredible on a per minute basis while both Freeman and Pitt are terrific with far more screen time. Paltrow’s character appears in just a couple scenes (though she obviously factors into the plot in a huge way) but she is terrific in both of them making her character more than just a plot device

The wise elder detective and young gung ho partner is a common movie trope but here it provides some needed comic relief without going overboard (though Pitt comes close a couple times)

One of the most horrifying twists and endings of all time, the suspense created in that final sequence is palpable throughout as you know (assuming it’s your first time) that something horrible is going to happen, you just don’t know what. And even after you are aware of the twist it still hits just as hard on repeat viewings even if the element of surprise is gone

Verdict: MP