Haven’t seen any films by the brilliant David Fincher? So here is my advice for discovering the world of the American director in the best way.
You may be one of those who have never seen a David Fincher film. If this is the case, then the author of these lines advises you to start with a particular work to discover the intense universe of the American filmmaker. This work, we warn you, is a shock (and we want you to see it for the first time!): it is the cult Seven, released in French cinemas at the beginning of 1996.
Seven (which all fans inevitably paused at 1 hour, 55 minutes and 15 seconds!) tells the story of Inspector Somerset, an old jaded cop who, with retirement just around the corner, comes across an unusual criminal. John Doe, as the assassin calls himself, decided to cleanse society of the evils that gnaw at it by committing seven murders based on the seven deadly sins: gluttony, avarice, laziness, pride , lust, envy and anger. To investigate, Somerset teams up with young detective Mills.
Sevenworn by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, is an indisputable peak of the film of serial killer. A monument of thrilleroften copied and never equalled, with a Machiavellian scenario by Andrew Kevin Walker.
To serve this crazy and flawless scenario and bring the film to the rank of masterpiece, we needed someone with mastery, perfectionist rigor in the direction, but also inventiveness in each shot and each camera movement . We also needed someone whose images matched the absolute darkness of the film. This person is therefore David Fincher who, the day after a painful experience on Alien 3 where his hands were tied, has carte blanche here. And it’s an absolute slap in the face.
Relentless and unforgettable
With Seven, David Fincher, influenced by film noir, reveals a staging that suffocates the viewer. The result is a relentless and unforgettable work, of crazy tension from its incredible opening credits to its suffocating final crescendo which was an absolutely unique experience if it was experienced (we will rather use the term “suffered) in rooms.
After Seven, David Fincher will become more and more perfectionist and meticulous in his staging, from Millenium to Gone Girl via Zodiac and The Game, while from time to time infusing some experiments into his cinema, as in Panic Room and The Killer.
Fine-tuned but playful director, dark but brilliant observer of our times, David Fincher is today an essential name in the seventh art. And if you discovered it with the film which revealed it to the general public, which really launched Brad Pitt and which stunned nearly 5 million spectators in French cinemas?
Have you noticed the little hidden details of “Seven”?