Our readers’ most anticipated movie of the fall, David Fincher’s ‘Cliff Booth,’ is in a bit of limbo — and not necessarily quality-wise. That’s been the subject of plenty of speculation in recent weeks, but the issue appears to be the scheduling of reshoots, which are supposed to take place at the end of the month. Will it be finished on time to hit that November 23 IMAX release date?
Regardless, Fincher is the biggest filmmaker with a new film this fall — actually, either him or Denis Villeneuve — which has now us to another critics’ poll, tackling a notable filmmaker’s filmography. This is the seventh in our ever-evolving series, following filmography polls on Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, the Coens, Steven Soderbergh, and Francis Ford Coppola.
We managed to gather 118 ballots from critics, programmers, filmmakers, and scholars. Each was asked to submit a single title, the one they believe to be the best of Fincher’s filmography, which consists of twelve movies.
So, what is Fincher’s best film? His filmography includes “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “The Game,” “Panic Room,” “The Social Network,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and “Gone Girl.”
What about his two Netflix movies? Fincher’s tidy friendship with Netflix has not been met with approval by everyone. Back in 2024, Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux stated that Fincher had “left cinema” and that it’s now as if “he doesn’t exist anymore” in the film world. Participants in this poll seem to agree, as “Mank” and “The Killer” failed to garner a single vote.
The big winner? Fincher’s greatest achievement, according to the hundreds of critics polled, is “Zodiac,” with “Fight Club,” “The Social Network,”and “Se7en” completing the top four. No other films came closest to them.
The next closest title was “Gone Girl,” which only managed to rack up five votes.
What’s most interesting is that Fincher’s last two films, produced by Netflix, finished at the very bottom of the results, with neither receiving a single vote. Hell, even “Alien³” managed to garner two votes — from IonCinema’s Nicolas Bell and film scholar David Greven, its biggest fans — which is more than “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, “Mank,” and “The Killer.”
Fincher is at a crucial point in his career — he’s been a Netflix streaming filmmaker for well over 10 years now, and if the results of this poll are any indication, not for the better. With ‘Cliff Booth’ up next, there’s more pressure than ever for him to deliver a great film.
As far as I’m concerned, and I agree with the results, it’ll be very hard for Fincher to ever top “Zodiac.” It’s his most personal statement — a film about obsession. The unsolved case becomes an obsession for the characters, but also for us, the audience. We’re given clues throughout, but they don’t add up, let alone lead to any definitive answers.
What Fincher captured so vividly in “Zodiac” is that atmosphere of dread hanging over California in the late ’60s and early ’70s, with the Zodiac Killer still out there and police completely baffled by the case. Fincher should know that atmosphere better than most — he was just six years old, and living in the area when these grisly crimes first happened. There’s something incredibly unsettling about how he stages the murder scenes, sticking closely to the evidence and witness testimonies available at the time.
“Zodiac” is ultimately a film about the unease of not knowing. It pulls you into the investigation and makes you obsess over every little detail, only to leave you with the feeling that you may never have all the answers. Then, when you rewatch the film, you hang on to every clue again, hoping you might finally crack the case, only to realize that the mystery remains just as elusive. And maybe that’s the point. Fincher doesn’t give us the comfort; instead, he leaves us trapped in the same obsession that consumes his characters, endlessly searching for certainty in a case that may never provide it. A masterpiece.
RESULTS
1) Zodiac (2007)— 51 votes
2) Fight Club (1999)— 23
3) The Social Network (2010)— 21
4) Se7en (1995)— 17
5) Gone Girl (2014)— 5
6) The Game (1997)— 3
07. Alien³ (1992)— 2
08. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)—1
NO VOTES
Panic Room (2002)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Mank (2020)
The Killer (2023)
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.