Se7en

Before films like Zodiac and The Social Network earned him auteur buzz, David Fincher was an ex-music video director with a middling output, mixing a bleak visual style with hamfisted direction. Fight Club remains extremely divisive, and Alien 3 and Panic Room have few fans. Groggy will never forget The Game (1997), a carefully-constructed thriller sabotaged by a twist ending worthy of R.L. Stine.

The one early Fincher movie most people like is Se7en (1995), a grisly serial killer saga that tries to one-up The Silence of the Lambs in grotesquery. It's a slickly made genre product, with good acting and stylish direction covering a thin plot and shaky premise.

Grouchy old cop William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and his testy new partner David Mills (Brad Pitt) investigate a series of gruesome homicides. A serial killer is targetting victims who have committed the Seven Deadly Sins, slaughtering them in appropriately grotesque fashion. Somerset and Mills cultivate a friendly relationship, though Somerset learns that Mills's wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) isn't exactly satisfied with life in the big city. Things take a bizarre turn when the killer (Kevin Spacey) turns himself in, hinting that there are further victims to uncover - saving the nastiest twist for last.

Se7en certainly gets points for style and atmosphere. Fincher and photographer Darius Khondji craft a memorably nasty atmosphere, a rotting city filled with bums, cockroaches and corpses. None of the murders are actually shown, but the hideous aftermaths (mutilated corpses, swarming bugs, hideous murder weapons) are disgusting enough. Individual set pieces work wonderfully, even if the internal logic is phony. On a visceral level, Se7en is extremely engrossing.

The surface gloss covers up a fairly shaky film. Fincer and writer Andrew Kevin Walker frame their intriguing premise in an implausible fashion; John Doe's Machiavellian tortures make the Joker look like a petty thug. Somerest and Mills' partnership plays like warmed-over Lethal Weapon, probably not the comparison a horror film desires. Even the ghoulish ending doesn't make much sense upon reflection: an innocent person dies, hence negating the killer's own rules. Its shock value, however, negates logical considerations.

Morgan Freeman is perfect for the world-weary Somerset, a far more interesting role than his poor man's Poitier schtick. On the other hand, Brad Pitt is supremely annoying. Pitt overacts like a 9th grade drama student, showing none of the subtlety or self-effacement of his recent turns. Kevin Spacey is wonderfully chilling, making his absurd villain almost believable. Gwyneth Paltrow registers strongly with minimal screen time. Strong support comes from R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket), Richard Roundtree (Shaft), John C. McGinley (Platoon) and Richard Schiff (TV's The West Wing).

Se7en is a well-made but fairly routine thriller. The movie requires more suspension of disbelief than your average sci-fi film, but on another level it's a morbidly engrossing spectacle.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

I'm not a literary cove, so I've never read Stieg Larsson's Millennium books. As someone who's slowly becoming a David Fincher fan, however, I thought I'd check out his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I cannot compare to the books or the Swedish version, but on its own merits the film works just fine.

Corporate head Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) enlists journalist Mikael Blomqvist (Daniel Craig), recently shamed from a libel suit, to resolve a family mystery. Henrik's daughter was murdered 40 years ago, and he can't let ago of the disappearance - not the least because the killer sends him annual mementos. When Blomqvist's investigation hits a snag, Vanger's partner (Steven Berkoff) suggests he enlist the help of Lisabeth Salander (Rooney Mara). Lisabeth is a ward of the state with violent tendencies, but she's also a brilliant hacker and investigator. Even with Lisabeth's help, the case is tough to crack: the Vangers are an extended family creepshow and each one seems a plausible suspect. However, the case is more complex than either imagines.

Larsson's nihilism (or Steve Zaillan's adaptation anyway) perfectly fits with Fincher's thematic preoccupations. The twisted dynamics of the Vanger family, with corruption, incest and Nazi collaboration, make the protagonists of Thomas Vinterberg's Festen look well-adjusted. There's little love for the Swedish welfare state, with Lisabeth forced to debase herself for a perverted custodian's (Yorick van Wageningen) favors. Fincher's stark mise-en-scene, mixing gruesome violence with snowbound Nordic locations and a brooding Trent Raznor-Atticus Ross score, leads to an engrossingly grim experience. The only drawback is that Fincher takes a long time to set the scene and longer still to leave it; the deliberate pace and length (158 minutes) might turn some viewers off.

Like Zodiac, Dragon Tattoo works better as a character study than a narrative. Lisabeth is sharply drawn and believable in all her particulars: we feel sympathy for her plight early on, but recoil when she mutilates her tormentor. She finds a kindred soul in Lvndqvist, whom she'd investigated in an earlier case, but she can't distinguish her personal attachment with his professional interest. She uses her skills to take down Lvndqvist's enemy, but can't attract his attention as a "friend." Lvndqvist, wrestling public ridicule with personal turmoil, is a perfect counterbalance: both find success only in their work.

Rooney Mara made a strong impression in Fincher's The Social Network and she's superb here. Besides a drastic physical transformation, Mara immerses herself at the role, at turns likeable and frightening, vulnerable and nasty. Lisabeth Salander could be ridiculous but Mara's subdued turn makes her uncannily credible. I'd be interested to check out the Swedish version to see how Noomi Rapace compares.

Daniel Craig gives his best non-Bond performance, a pillar of assurance and righteous determination. The supporting cast is superb, with Christopher Plummer's (The Man Who Would Be King) haunted patriarch, Stellan Skarsgard's (Pirates of the Caribbean) deceptively charming brother and Yorick van Wageningen's slimy social worker registering strongest. Steven Berkoff (Barry Lyndon), Robin Wright (The Conspirator) and Joely Richardson (The Patriot) assay smaller roles.

The Girl in the Dragon Tattoo is a bit long in the tooth and its twists and turns aren't especially novel. It still makes for an interesting experience, not the least for its unique protagonist. I certainly wouldn't mind two sequels.

Zodiac

David Fincher's Zodiac (2007) is a superlative film. An excellent mixture of character study and crime saga, it works on both levels as a compelling drama about obsession.

In the late '60s and early '70s, San Francisco is terrorized by a mysterious killer known only as the Zodiac, who kills seemingly without motivation. He sends taunting letters to the San Francisco Chronicle, piquing the interest of crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal). The journalists' private investigation clashes with SFPD Detective Dave Toschi's (Mark Ruffalo) probe into the case. Toschi chases down a number of suspects, including pedophile Arthur Leigh Allen (John Carroll Lynch), but hard evidence exonerates them. The investigation continues long after the killings stop: a death threat drives Avery to drink, Toschi is accused of forging a Zodiac letter and Graysmith loses his job and wife (Chloe Sevigney) to his obsession.

The greatest police movies (In Cold Blood comes to mind) show just how hard a policeman's job is: having to navigate redtape, corruption, overlapping jurisdictions, egos, conflicting evidence, lack of manpower and often-hostile media coverage. Often, pursuing the suspect is a secondary concern. "A policeman's job is easy only in a police state," remarks Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil. Zodiac highlights this difficulty with its complex portrayal of a convoluted, unsolvable case.

Toschi's investigation is a complete mess. Zodiac's taunting letters and phone calls are a headscratcher, but copycats and cranks compound the situation even more. The Zodiac either takes credit or receives blame for completely unrelated crimes. The media turns Zodiac's rampage into a circus, from Avery's shenanigans to a media-hungry lawyer (Brian Cox) contacting Zodiac through a talk show. The movie strongly hints at Allen's guilt (he certainly comes off as a creep), but his fingerprints and handwriting don't match the killer's and the main witness against him is inconsistent. Without good luck or strong leads the investigation stalls.

In this sense, Zodiac is one of Hollywood's most mature police films. Cop movies generally either treat circumstantial evidence as proof or opt for brainless action, but Fincher avoids both. At one point, Toschi walks out of a screening of Dirty Harry, whose psychotic killer is loosely inspired by the Zodiac. Fantasy cops like Harry Callahan are fun but their shoot first mentality is dangerous in reality. As 10 Rillington Place demonstrates, sending an innocent man the gallows isn't merely an intellectual argument; in that case, the real killer continued his murders for years. Unfortunately, this nuanced approach allows some criminals to slip through the cracks, and Toschi's adherence to principle only earns him grief.

The other side of the coin is a fascinating portrayal of obsession, focusing on the journalists who covered the case. Avery's outrageous tactics (following his own leads, talking to out-of-town cops) screw up the police investigation and ruin his own reputation. But at least Avery's a crime reporter; Graysmith's interest is unfathomable to anyone. A stray comment by his wife, years after the fact, causes him to restart the investigation on his own, following the slenderest leads beyond reason. The scenes of Graysmith's descent into monomania are extremely disturbing, and make a stronger impression than the bloody killings early on.

David Fincher's directoral output is hit-or-miss but he's on solid ground here. Harris Savide's digital photography is some of the best I've seen, creating the perfect moody, docudrama atmosphere. Fincher seamlessly integrates CGI to recreate '70s San Francisco; aside from some showy scenes (a cab's night time journey, the time-elapse construction of the Transamerica Pyramid) the computer work is nearly undetectable. Fincher handles the killings tastefully, not skimping on gore but avoiding sensational effects.

Robert Downey Jr. revived his career with this film, his eccentric Avery a good prototype for Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. Jake Gyllenhaal nails Graysmith's strange mannerisms and neurotic obsession brilliantly. Best of all, however, is Mark Ruffalo (Shutter Island). Toschi inspired Steve McQueen's Bullitt (another Hollywood supercop), but Ruffalo subtly portrays him as a good detective worn down by a difficult, frustrating case, unable to move on with his life.

The supporting cast is perfect. Brian Cox (Nicholas & Alexandra) is superbly slimy as Melvin Belli, the attorney who develops a strange affinity towards the Zodiac. John Carroll Lynch (Gran Torino) makes an excellent creep; even if he isn't the Zodiac he comes off as a first-class nutter. Chloe Sevigny is sweet as Graysmith's wife, unable to cope with his obsession. Various other cops and officials are played by Anthony Edwards, Philip Baker Hall, Elias Koteas (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Donal Logue (The Patriot) and Dermot Mulroney (J. Edgar), all in top form.

Zodiac is a wonderful crime saga. By focusing on the difficulties of police work and the pitfalls of personal obsession, it earns points above its peers.

The Social Network

Well, for those of you (like me) who didn't think Facebook was an interesting subject for a movie, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin have proven you wrong.

The Social Network is a solid film. Despite its deceptively dubious subject matter, Fincher, Sorkin and a top-notch cast create a compelling, thematic drama and incisive character study. Arguably no film has better-defined the Internet generation than The Social Network, and it's both fascinating and disconcerting in its portrayal of modern society's emptiness and isolation.

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is an ambitious but socially-awkward sophomore at Harvard. After a messy breakup with girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara), Zuckerberg gains revenge by creating a website, Facesmash, where users can rate the "hotness" of Harvard co-eds. Zuckerberg is approached by the Winklevoss twins (both played by Arnie Hammer) to help develop a social networking site. Using their ideas, Zuckerberg goes behind their back and, enlisting the help of friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), creates The Facebook, a networking site. Facebook is an instant hit, angering the Winklevosses. But Zuckerberg's newfound fame and success go to his head, and he shuns Eduardo as Facebook goes global, leading to lawsuits by his disgruntled colleagues.

The Social Network succeeds on many levels. The movie is at base a typical corporate drama, but works even better as an exploration of alienation. Fincher isn't exactly a subtle director, but he does a fine job capturing both the appeal and emptiness of Internet culture. An early scene, where Zuckerberg starts Facesmash as revenge against his ex, is on the nose but gets the point across: while more popular students drink and party, Zuckerberg gets revenge in the isolated quiet of his dorm. Fiction allows an individual to escape from reality, but the Internet allows one to actually live their fantasy, isolating them from real-world interaction no matter "popular" they are with unseen Internet friends. Anyone who's spent a decent amount of time online can relate to this.

The film is equally scathing in its show of unbridled capitalism and cut-throat competitiveness. Zuckerberg's piratical behavior, stealing ideas and backstabbing friends, isn't too shocking by now, but other elements are. The Winklevoss twins, attempting to bring Zuckerberg to heel the "gentleman's" way, are stymied by Harvard's President (Douglas Urbanski), who basically tells them that they should shut up and invent something else. The object isn't money but fame and recognition: and yet Zuckerberg ultimately finds Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the erratic but brilliant creator of Napster, as repulsive as the Harvard snobs he rejected. When success is society's ultimate object, honest human interactions are less important: The culture is self-perpetuating, Fincher and Sorkin brilliantly argue, providing Facebook with a perfect niche.

Most interesting, of course, is Zuckerberg himself, brilliantly portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland). As portrayed by the film, Zuckerberg is an anti-social loser, a computer genius who's a failure at everything else. Citizen Kane comparisons have been thrown around by the more excitable critics but Richard Nixon might be a better comparison: Zuckerberg lacks Kane's relative innocence, and his actions are a campaign of calculated spite, self-advancement and petty revenge against those who daren't accept him into their social circle. Even those who do appreciate him (the Winklevosses, Parker) are screwed over for not appreciating him on *his* terms. Either Zuckerberg is a complete asshole, or else a pitiably empty shell with a facade of cultivated nastiness. Either way, he isn't a pretty sight.

Fincher's direction is solid if fairly restrained: only a few bits jar, namely a stylized crew-racing scene that seems out-of-place. His wonderfully dark mis-en-scene, all crowded dorms, bars and hotel rooms, creates a palpable atmosphere of psychic violence. Sorkin's script is brilliantly constructed, using flashbacks within flashbacks with consummate skill, and as to be expected from his work, the dialogue is sharp, witty and incisive. Trevor Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is also superb. It's a technically sound film.

Jesse Eisenberg, as mentioned before, is superb. He makes Zuckerberg a believable, well-rounded character without trying for unearned sympathy: he's at base a petty, hateful prick who's compelling without being likeable. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets an Oscar nod for this role. Arnie Hammer's dual performance is remarkable, creating two completely-distinct characters. Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake are also perfect, and Rooney Mara's small-but-crucial role is well-handled. Douglas Urbanski gets arguably the film's best scene: as a certain Mr. Jenkins has pointed out, it's disconcerting to consider that his character, Larry Summers, is now President Obama's chief economic advisor!

The Social Network is, all around, a wonderful piece of work. Some critics may have gone too far in proclaiming it a masterpiece, but it certainly is an impressive, insightful and disquieting film.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Oscar Quest concludes (well, the Best Picture round anyway) with a much-belated look at David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a movie which, to say the least, pleasantly surprised me. Granted, the night after watching The Reader I could have watched Silent Night Deadly Night 2 or (God help us) The Trial of Billy Jack and probably found it more enjoyable, but Benjamin Button greatly exceeded my expectations in delivering a thoughtful, touching, and most of all entertaining film.

Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is born in 1918 New Orleans, afflicted with a strange, unaccountable condition: he is born with the attributes of an old man. Abandoned by his father (Jason Flemyng), he is adopted by Tizzy (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) and Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), a black couple who help run a nursing home. As time goes on, Benjamin not only survives infancy, but grows up, regressing in age as time goes by. He lives a long and full life, serving on the crew of a tugboat, and cultivating a lifelong romance with dancer Daisy (Cate Blanchett), but is cursed by his affliction - which those around him wither and die while he grows ever more young and handsome.

I would be lying if I didn't tell you I went into the movie with pretty low expectations; the plot idea seemed tacky and ridiculous, and I'd heard many people whose opinions I respect (not least of all Roger Ebert) badmouth the film or at least express disappointment. Certainly the film has an odd premise and its share of false notes. But overall it surprised me, making at least three Best Picture nominees that I wouldn't mind winning, unlike last year's zero.

The movie is extremely effective at what it sets out to do. It uses its admittedly odd and somewhat gimmicky idea the best possible way; by framing its story around and emphasizing a message of love, loss and the inexorable march of time. One might argue that Benjamin is no more cursed than anyone else who lives to an old age and has to watch their relatives die. Fair enough, but what does Benjamin have to look forward to? Moving backwards as he is, he is unable to live of a life with any degree of satisfaction or real enjoyment out of his life. Too old to form a proper relationship with Daisy as a child, too young to maintain it as she she ages, he can only maintain his relationships when on just the right wavelength of the others, and then watch them wither and die while he turns into Brad Pitt. It's to the credit of Fincher and his writers (and certainly the cast) that they're able to turn this silly concept into something touching and almost profound; it pulls all of the right emotional strings without being cloying or obnoxious. If it's manipulative, it's the good kind.

Many people have compared the film to Forrest Gump, not the least because it shares screenwriter Eric Roth. This is only valid in an oblique sense, of a man living through a long swath of history and its important events. If anything, however, the movie is the anti-Gump; whereas Forrest was a nitwit who had a major impact on history without realizing it, Benjamin is a man all too painfully aware of himself, and yet he actually achieves very little, professionally or personally; even his war service is marked by chance survival rather than any heroics, and that's probably the biggest achievement of his entire life. Even then, the film doesn't dwell on its historical events, and at best skims over its context. I dare posit that any film about the life of a person would have to deal with the events they lived through, yes?

The movie's message is not entirely original, but it's well-done anyway. The plot device is a bit odd but avoids being tacky; it's used well to push the story's message forward. The movie's only major flaws are the lame framing device involving a dying Daisy and her daughter (Julia Ormond) in hospital, during Hurricane Katrina of all things, and the illogical progression of Benjamin's growth; if he started out as an infirm baby, shouldn't he grow into a young-looking old man rather than regressing back to infancy? (This is the exact opposite of the original F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, but I digress.) Considering the whole, though, those are relatively minor complaints.

David Fincher's direction is wonderful. His films (Se7en, Fight Club) usually have a forced, false atmosphere of doom, gloom and despair that is turned into wistful nostalgia here. The film maintains a fantastic, nostalgic, almost dream-like atmosphere throughout, never seeming completely real. His sense of shadow and color, the strong point of his other films, survives here and thrives as well in an atypical context. The make-up is astonishing, as is to be expected. Alexandre Desplat's contributes a moody, emotional musical score that enhances the proceedings considerably.

The film's acting is very good. Brad Pitt does a nice job depicted Benjamin's improbable evolution, managing to make him believable in spite of the copious make-up job. It's not the greatest performance of Pitt's career but it's a nice turn anyway. Cate Blanchett, however, is most wonderful; she pulls off a difficult character extremely well; I don't know how she missed out on an Oscar nod. (As an aside, I've always loved her as an actress but I've never found her more luminously beautiful and attractive than here.) The supporting cast contains its share of gems, including Taraji P. Henson as Queenie, Tilda Swinton as Benjamin's short-lived English lover, and Ted Manson as the poor fellow who always gets hit by lightning.

Flaws aside, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a really fine film. Its insights are timeless if not particularly original, and except for a few kinks in plot and story dynamics it's a near-flawless piece of entertainment. 8/10 and #5/22 for 2008

Rating: 8/10 - Highly Recommended

So, what's next?