The emblematic director of psychological thrillers and neo-noir, David Fincher is back this year with the much-anticipated The Killer, a portrait of a hitman in the midst of an existential crisis. To mark the occasion, we'd like to take a look back at three major crime films that represent milestones in Fincher's filmography. Whether they're larger-than-life serial killers or ordinary sociopaths, David Fincher's killers are always captivating objects of study and subjects of directing, sending back to our society and our certainties the chilling reflection of their own monstrosity.
In the late '60s, an enigmatic serial killer is on the loose in the San Francisco area. Journalists and investigators set out to track him down. They try to make sense of the cryptic messages and false leads left by the killer who calls himself the Zodiac.
David Fincher
David Fincher is an American filmmaker and producer. Often described as one of the preeminent directors of his generation, his films, of which most are psychological thrillers, have received 40 Academy Awards nominations; including three Best Director nominations for him. He directed numerous music videos for the company, including Madonna's Express Yourself in 1989 and Vogue in 1990, both of which won him the MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction. He made his feature film debut with Alien 3 (1992) and had his breakthrough with Seven (1995). Fincher then experienced mixed success with The Game (1997) and Fight Club (1999), though the latter subsequently achieved "cult film" status. In 2002, he returned to prominence with the thriller Panic Room, starring Jodie Foster. Fincher also directed Zodiac (2007), The Social Network (2010), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), and Mank (2020). His biggest commercial successes are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Gone Girl (2014), both of which grossed over $300 million worldwide. Known for his perfectionism, he can shoot a very large number of takes for each shots and sequences to achieve his desired result.
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