Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked

David Fincher has dug a perfect pocket for himself as a creator of movies undoubtedly beloved while remaining signature and risqué. His movies are celebrated by a wide range of genre fans, from true-crime podcast listeners to Silicon Valley groupies, frat boys to anti-frat boys, thrill-seekers hoping to have their brains turned into lemon juice to just your friendly neighborhood cinephile who likes pretty pictures. He's genuinely one of the Hollywood auteurs in the modern industry, as much as he doesn't like the term.

You can look at any frame and immediately know if it's a Fincher: impossible camera movements, unsaturated color palettes, and chiaroscuro lighting. Yet, the plots go in all directions. While he is best known for adapting books into feature films like Gone Girl, Fight Club, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, each of his films feels unique. Here are all of David Fincher's movies, ranked.

Update November 29, 2023: This article has been updated following the release of The Killer, Fincher's latest film.

This article may contain mild spoilers

12 Alien³ (1995)

Alien 3

Release Date

May 22, 1992

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Sigourney Weaver, Charles S. Dutton, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Ralph Brown

Rating

R

Main Genre

Action

Alien³ was the result of Fincher being a hired gun in one of the most infamous productions ever. The follow-up to James Cameron's Aliens tells the story of what happens to Ellen Ripley when her escape pod crashes on a planet where a prison for violent men has been installed. Of course, she has brought other survivors and a facehugger.

Why It Ranks at the Bottom

Sometimes, a studio head wants to make a movie, so they attempt it via an up-and-coming director who has too little clout with which to fight back. The result should have been a mess: a tug of war where there should have been a unified direction. This one had to follow up two of the most celebrated sci-fi movies of all time, and he did what he could. Alien³ is not as great as the previous films, but it's a solid genre shift that works better in its Assembly Cut version, and also if you previously research about the whole disaster that ensued when production came to a halt several times. The film's definitely not as bad as people paint it out to be.

You can stream Alien³ on Hulu.

11 Mank (2020)

Mank

Release Date

November 13, 2020

Runtime

131

Main Genre

Drama

Written by David Fincher's late father, Jack Fincher, Mank looks at the writing of "The Last Supper of movies," Citizen Kane. Mank's subject, Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman in a very challenging role according to him), the wordsmith behind Kane and dear friend of that script's subject, William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance), navigates alcoholism and is attacked by representatives of the Hearst estate. This begins a new political age of democratic socialism versus semi-reformed capitalism in Tinseltown.

What's Great About It

Mank deserves credit for being engaging, daring in this age, and even wholesome given its paternal origins, but it's entirely different from most other entries in Fincher's filmography. The crown jewel is its clever dialogue to fit its namesake, which is a credit to be given to Jack rather than David. It's a great exercise in drama filmmaking, made by a guy who truly understands the genre and makes a very interesting film about the events that birthed cinema auteurship.

You can stream Mank on Netflix.

10 The Game (1997)

PolyGram Films

The Game tells the story of Nicholas Van Orton(Michael Douglas), a man whose brother gives him a very special birthday present: a life-changing experience in the form of a real-life game. Van Orton seemingly accepts to participate, and right then and there, he starts a journey that will take him to unexplored depths. His life gets absolutely broken. And throughout the whole experience, you will keep asking yourself, "how far is too far?"

What's Great About It

It's arguably Michael Douglas' best performance of his entire career. Van Orton is a sour dude whose life takes a turn when things actually go too far. Finchers's direction of the great script will leave you thinking for a while, up until the very divisive ending of which there isn't another version, as much as we would like that. However, this doesn't invalidate the gripping thriller that is The Game, one of the director's most underrated films and, undoubtedly, one of the best premises he ever worked with.

You can stream The Game on Tubi.

9 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Release Date

December 25, 2008

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Faune A. Chambers, Elias Koteas, Donna DuPlantier, Jacob Tolano

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Drama

Based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, follows Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) as a man born as an old guy and aging younger with time. As weird as the premise sounds, Finchet grounds it in a very human story. This is a love story framed under the concept of time and its relativity.

What's Great About It

Written by Eric Roth, the miraculous improvement upon Fitzgerald's premise proved a gorgeous exploration of which graces are dispensed liberally by existence and which should be redefined as sacred. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button isn't just a look at life, but through its reversing motif, a look at yours; it isn't about whether Button's flipped trajectory is blessed or cursed, but if our traditional one is. It's a very underrated film that not many people associate with Fincher because of how sentimental it is.

You can stream The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Showtime.

8 Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club

Release Date

October 15, 1999

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier, Richmond Arquette

Rating

R

Main Genre

Drama

A hypermasculine championing of misogyny, militancy, and masochism. Or an unquestionable condemnation of those very things. Fight Club is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk and tells the story of a man who's not very happy. His job is boring and he's got nothing to look up to. But then the stranger Tyler Durden arrives and convinces him to form a "fight club", while also falling for a very strange woman.

What's Great About It

For some viewers, it's a damning critique of capitalism and corporatism; another layer deeper, and Tyler Durden is a representation of Leninist statism against Marxist anarchism. In brief, Fight Club at this point, has become the most accessible Rorschach test for film academics in modern history, and that alone raises it to a plane so ethereal that it earns its stripes here. It's different to what you might expect from a traditional film, but Fincher streamlines it enough to be a fascinating and very funny character study about anxiety that some say has aged poorly.

You can stream Fight Club on The Roku Channel.

7 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Release Date

December 14, 2011

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Plummer, Joely Richardson

Rating

R

Main Genre

Crime

In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mikael (Daniel Craig), a disgraced journalist, teams up with Lisbeth (Rooney Mara), an antisocial hacker, in order to solve an island mystery plaguing the Vanger family for decades: what happened the night 16-year-old Harriet Vanger went missing? The film is right up Fincher's alley: twists cozying up with lethal suspense and a desperate need for information, all done with expert precision and even a bit of levity. Not to mention one of the most underrated and impressive scores of all time by Fincher's regular partners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

What's Great About It

Following the celebrated Swedish film adaptation of the Millenium series, Män som hatar kvinnor, Fincher's venture had to fit a series-length square peg into a 2.5-hour round hole. Watching, you can feel there isn't a moment to spare with plot and development, but where that could feel rushed in another film, it feels energizing and incendiary here. This is a very underrated film that, unfortunately, suffered too much scrutiny by audiences and whose sequel was never green-lighted.

You can rent or buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo on Prime Video or Vudu.

6 Panic Room (2002)

Panic Room

Release Date

March 29, 2002

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto, Patrick Bauchau

Rating

R

Main Genre

Crime

In Panic Room, Meg (Jodie Foster) has just moved into her new, luxurious home with her daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart), complete with an impenetrable panic room. When burglars (Dwight Yoakam, Jared Leto and Forest Whitaker) break into the home, knowing a secret about the contents of the panic room, Meg and Sarah are trapped with no communication to the outside world.

What's Great About It

Fincher's skills at building a thriller were ever-present. But in Panic Room, they become a protagonist that perfectly fits with the simple story being told. It's a home invasion movie that Fincher makes out to be a thrilling adventure with likable characters (including heroes and villains), and you never sense that it was a production nightmare. Do you like "well-designed" films? Then this one's for you.

You can rent or buy Panic Room on Prime Video or Vudu.

5 The Killer (2023)

The Killer (2023)

Release Date

November 10, 2023

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Kerry O'Malley, Charles Parnell, Lacey Dover

Rating

R

Main Genre

Action

In Fincher's latest, The Killer, a contract killer misses his target after weeks of preparation. Unfortunately, this causes a series of consequences that hit closer to the professional's intimate side, sparking a necessary spree of violent revenge. It's based on the French graphic novel series of the same name, and it was produced and released by Netflix.

What's Great About It

Fincher's return to the genre was met with a lukewarm reception at how simple the film feels. However, The Killer is far from being a bad film, and it's one of the best films of the year. This one shows the director returning to his roots with a script that doesn't provide an innovative structure or narrative. This is just the breakdown of a Smiths-loving man's thirst for revenge being quenched. Michael Fassbender is outstanding in the lead role.

You can stream The Killer on Netflix.

4 Zodiac (2007)

Zodiac

Release Date

March 2, 2007

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch

Rating

R

Main Genre

Crime

As the title suggests, Zodiac follows the investigation into the Zodiac Killer, the known killer of five Californians with claims of up to 37. Just like the investigation itself, the film features danger, suspense, and a promise of revelation in every crevice of every frame. It's told from the perspective of cartoonist Robert Graysmith, who believed he possessed the identity of the killer, who was never found. This transports him to the underbelly of a frightened city whose own desperation led to the killer roaming free.

What's Great About It

No film will ever make you so careful to note which of your California friends have basements. Zodiac is a modern masterpiece of the drama thriller genre. The film's beautifully shot, and the screenplay by James Vanderbilt is excellent. Sadly, the film went unnoticed in the awards season, but then it got the cult status it always deserved. Again, a fantastically designed film that's also very underrated.

You can stream Zodiac on Showtime.

3 Gone Girl (2014)

Gone Girl

Release Date

October 1, 2014

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens

Rating

R

Main Genre

Drama

In Gone Girl, Amy Dunne has gone missing. There are no signs of her life. As usual, the husband is the first suspect, and thus begins, a fall down the rabbit hole of secrets, real dynamics of the marriage in question, and a woman whose real intentions come to flourish in a character reveal that stands among the greatest of Fincher's catalog. You won't believe your eyes, and you will have trouble trusting your partner again.

What's Great About It

Gone Girl translates Gillian Flynn's celebrated novel perfectly onscreen with some of the greatest casting choices in recent history. The ways people tend to feel about Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike are exactly how they subconsciously feel about Nick and Amy. All of the film rests on your predispositions, much to the plot's delight. The Reznor/Ross score is again excellent, encompassing the creepy with the sterility of the suburbs. When the midpoint twist of "Who kidnapped or killed Amy Dunne?" is realized, and the movie really begins, the questions about "girl boss" variations of feminism and elitist assumptions of working-class abilities drive this movie to one of Fincher's best endings.

You can stream Gone Girl on Max.

2 Se7en (1995)

Se7en

Release Date

September 22, 1995

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, Daniel Zacapa, andrew kevin walker

Rating

R

Main Genre

Crime

In Se7en, a serial killer claims victims based on the seven deadly sins. He does so with surgeon-like skill. As Detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) hunt the mastermind, their own personal lives become intertwined in the events. The guy, famously known as John Doe, suddenly stops and turns himself in. He holds a last surprise, perfectly told in the best third act of Fincher's career.

What's Great About It

The twists are some of the most celebrated in all film history, and the film's gruesomeness announced to the world exactly how strong Fincher's stomach was. Se7en takes place in a deeper layer of Earth, closer to Hell, as kindness doesn't exist anymore, and only nihilistic values make the world turn. The film's "look and feel" and ultimate message are summarized in one of the film's lines. Detective Somerset, in shock, says "Ernest Hemingway wrote: 'The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part." This is the quintessential crime thriller of the '90s that everyone must see at some point of their lives.

You can rent or buy Se7en on Prime Video.

1 The Social Network (2010)

The Social Network

Release Date

October 1, 2010

Director

David Fincher

Cast

Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Bryan Barter, Dustin Fitzsimons, Armie Hammer, Joseph Mazzello

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Biography

Cited by many as the greatest film of the 2010s right at the start of the decade, The Social Network follows Mark Zuckerberg on his journey as he created Facebook, basically out of spite. He goes from being dumped to being the youngest self-made billionaire in history at his time. But all things come with a price, and the film depicts all the legal drama that ensued after the math was done.

What's Great About It

The Social Network has a fantastic screenplay, score, and editing work. It also has some of the best performances of its stars' careers: Jesse Eisenberg masterfully keeps the film's tempo, but Andrew Garfield's Eduardo Saverin steals every scene. The film mixes many themes from Fincher's prior films about interrogations of capitalistic innovations, purposes of being alive, and hypermasculine masochism. Blend those over, and you get The Social Network,one of the best movies of the 21st century.

You can stream The Social Network on Netflix.