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All 12 David Fincher movies, ranked from worst to best
From Fight Club to The Social Network, this ranking is full of modern classics.
David Fincher is responsible for some of the best movies of the last 30 years, from the beloved detective thriller Seven to the critically-acclaimed Facebook origin story The Social Network.
Now he's back on Netflix with the stylish revenge thriller The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender, so we're here to put his work to the test — all David Fincher movies, ranked from worst to best.
To be fair, Fincher doesn't really have bad bad movies, but we can say some are more unmissable than others. We can also say our Top 3 are undeniable masterpieces you should watch as soon as possible if you haven't already.
We are not forgetting his masterful Netflix series Mindhunter, which would be quite high in this ranking if we hadn't decided to stick only with movies. Still, its two seasons are a must-watch if you're looking for a longer commitment this weekend.
Looking at Fincher's oeuvre, there are definitely some themes he is drawn to, most notably alienated white males and serial killers. However, there is a great variety of stories to be found in his body of work, from a black-and-white period drama like Mank to a fantasy Oscar darling like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
What ties everything together is a methodical style, and stunning visual storytelling.
We explore the work of one of Hollywood's most admired filmmakers — here are David Fincher's best movies.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Despite winning three Oscars for its stunning visual effects, art direction and make up, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of David Fincher's least convincing movies.
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Taraji P Henson, the movie follows Benjamin Button, who inexplicably ages in reverse. Button is born in 1918 as an elderly man, and he gets younger every year until his death as a baby.
It's a surprising premise, Pitt's performance is top-notch and Fincher is as effective as always in his directing skills. However, it's kind of hard to feel engaged in any of it.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
Alien³ (1992)
It's understandable that Alien³ felt like a disappointment compared to the previous instalments of the Alien franchise, Ridley Scott's OG Alien and James Cameron's fabulous sequel Aliens.
After building a successful career as a music video director in the '80s, David Fincher made his directorial film debut with this movie, and it did not go well.
From production problems and studio interference to an underwhelming performance at the US box office, this movie is one of the few missteps of Fincher's career.
Still, it's quite an entertaining film with some nerve-wracking moments. With Sigourney Weaver returning as Ripley, Alien³ is set on a decommissioned prison planet, Fiorina 161, where the lieutenant and an Alien organism land after being the only survivors of the Colonial Marine spaceship Sulaco.
Watch now: Disney+ | Prime Video
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Expectations are tricky, and David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo suffered because of them.
Stieg Larsson’s Millennium book trilogy already had a successful Swedish-produced film adaptation, but Hollywood wanted their own English-language one.
However, Sony's plans of making three movies were quickly forgotten when the first film didn't quite meet the expectations at the box office and failed at making an impact with the US audience.
That doesn't mean this is a bad movie at all.
Fincher's visual style is as proficient as ever, Rooney Mara's Lisbeth Salander is captivating, and Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor's score is remarkable. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is painfully violent and deliciously tense, even if it's ultimately burdened by some of Larsson's questionable storytelling decisions.
Watch now: Netflix | Prime Video | Microsoft Store
The Game (1997)
Following Seven's success, David Fincher surprised audiences with a different kind of twisty, disturbing thriller.
Starring Michael Douglas, the story focuses on a successful banker who gets the craziest birthday gift from his estranged brother (played by Sean Penn). After all, what do you buy for a man that seems to have it all?
The gift is the opportunity to play a real-life game that messes with the participant's existence. As the game grows in intensity and danger, the banker starts fearing his life is at stake.
The Game is yet another example of Fincher's masterful ability to create a powerful atmosphere and riveting storytelling. It might be his most underrated film alongside Panic Room.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
Mank (2020)
After delivering two seasons of the terrific Mindhunter, David Fincher returned to Netflix with another risky movie, totally different from anything he had done before.
It is one of his most personal projects too, since the screenplay was written by his father, Jack Fincher, before his death in 2003.
The movie focuses on the true story of screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, who wrote Orson Welles's Citizen Kane, considered one of the best movies of all time. As it travels back in time to the late '30s, Mank features real people from actress Marion Davis to businessman William Randolph Hearst.
Starring Gary Oldman, Charles Dance, Tuppence Middleton, Lily Collins and Amanda Seyfried, Mank is nearly a perfect film, except for one fatal flaw.
Watch now: Netflix
Panic Room (2002)
Panic Room is a highly entertaining, yet underrated, thriller that had the tough job of following Fight Club in Fincher's body of work.
Starring Jodie Foster and a young Kristen Stewart, the story sees a recently divorced mother and her daughter trapped in their home's panic room when a group of burglars (played by Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and Dwight Yoakam) break in.
Unfortunately, what these invaders seek is precisely inside of the panic room, and they're not leaving without it.
This home invasion film is packed with suspense and violence, a perfect mix of thriller and horror.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
The Killer (2023)
Teaming up again with Seven writer Andrew Kevin Walker, David Fincher delivers in The Killer a brutal and stylish revenge thriller that feels like a classic Fincherian flick.
Based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Matz and Luc Jacamon, The Killer sees an assassin (played by Michael Fassbender) head on an international manhunt against his employers after a hit goes wrong, leading to consequences for those close to him.
The story is split into six chapters, where the hitman faces different adversaries, from The Brute (Sala Baker) to The Expert (Tilda Swinton).
Watch now: Netflix
Gone Girl (2014)
Love it or hate it, but Gone Girl is one of those movies you can talk about for hours without reaching a clear conclusion.
Gillian Flynn's wickedly clever book, which she adapted for Fincher's film, centres on the marriage between frustrated writer Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and his glamorous wife Amy (Rosamund Pike). Everybody thinks they have a perfect life, but reality is very different. When Amy goes missing, Nick becomes the main suspect.
Fincher and Flynn explore media frenzy, marriages and gender stereotypes with a delightfully naughty sense of humour.
As Digital Spy's 5-star review said at the time of release: "Gone Girl grabs you in its vice-like grip from the opening moments and doesn't let go. There are moments in this film that will make your jaw drop in shock and horror."
Watch now: Netflix | Disney+ | Prime Video
Fight Club (1999)
David Fincher's most famous and over-analysed movie left its mark for a generation of viewers, although over twenty years later it's proven more divisive than ever.
Based on 1996's book by Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club follows an unnamed man (played by Edward Norton) who suffers from depression and insomnia, deeply dissatisfied with his life. Everything changes when he meets salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), with whom he starts an underground fight club in order to blow off some steam.
For some it's a poignant satire of male alienation and toxic masculinity. For others it's their entire personality.
As noted by The Guardian, Fight Club became a defining story for incels, misogynists and white supremacists. "I’m not responsible for how people interpret things," Fincher told the newspaper. "We didn’t make it for them, but people will see what they’re going to see in a Norman Rockwell painting, or [Picasso’s] Guernica."
Watch now: Netflix | Disney+ | Prime Video
Se7en (1995)
The box reveal at the end of Seven might be one of the most shocking moments in movie history.
But it took more than a bold plot twist to put David Fincher on Hollywood's map — Seven is an absorbing, nail-biting detective thriller any serial-killer obsessive will have among their all-time favourite movies.
Starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, the story follows two detectives, one a rookie and the other about to retire, as they hunt a serial killer who is using the seven deadly sins as a framework to perpetrate the most gruesome murders.
The endearing relationship between the two detectives is at the heart of the story, which moves between the buddy cop movie and the bloodthirsty thriller.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac is David Fincher's most underrated gem, an absolute masterpiece overlooked by critics, audiences and awards alike in 2007.
The movie is based on the real story of the Zodiac killer, considered one of the most famous unsolved murder cases in US history.
Set in the late '60s and '70s in San Francisco, the story follows the parallel investigation of two detectives (played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards) and two journalists (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr) as they grow obsessed with finding the killer's identity.
Fincher traps viewers in this nerve-racking net where nothing matters beyond solving the Zodiac's mystery. But not even in fiction do we always get what we want.
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
The Social Network (2010)
Once upon a time, Facebook was a social-media revolution, but how did it all happen?
The Oscar-nominated The Social Network explores the troubled origin of the famed brand through the story of its creator, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg), and the colleagues that claimed he didn't invent Facebook all on his own.
Aaron Sorkin's writing is as electrifying as ever here, as this origin story turns into a bigger exploration of entitled rich white men and Silicon Valley culture.
It's a fascinating look into the foundations of social media as we know it, as well as a deeply entertaining drama filled with iconic moments and all-time iconic quotes such as:
"You're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole."
Watch now: Prime Video | Microsoft Store | Apple TV+
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
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