Something isnât right about David Fincher, and we love him for it. Although heâs never won an Oscar for Best Director, few filmmakers in the history of cinema have better mastered the art of human depravity. Fincherâs movies have introduced us to an alien being born by ripping itself out of a dogâs stomach, a grown man aging backwards, and a sexual assault scene too graphic to even describe in this paragraph. But, his movies reach a more primal level of depravity when the grotesque isnât overtly graphic, but psychological.
Mark Zuckerberg may have created a social media platform that helped disrupt a U.S. election, but I wouldnât say heâs as depraved as Michael Fassbenderâs assassin in The Killer. And yet, Fincher crafts Zuckerberg as a misanthropic digital dictator in The Social Network, one whose emotionless disregard for people in the pursuit of technological advancement makes him more machine than man. So, even when a Fincher film doesnât promise blood and guts, just know youâll still leave feeling disgusted yet glad you watched.
Before the arrival of Fincherâs next film, a Western crime thriller called Bitterroot set to stream on Netflix, letâs prepare our minds (and stomachs) with a look through his depraved filmography.
