No one straddles the line between artistic integrity and mercenary profit like David Fincher. The man has adapted novels, comic books, and nonfiction, been a hired gun for the Alien franchise, made Madonna’s music videos, and, of course, given the world Mank, all while developing a reputation as one of his generation’s finest directors. This year, we’re expecting The Adventures of Cliff Booth, Fincher’s spinoff of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And while “Quentin Tarantino spinoff” might be an ominous phrase in most contexts, David Fincher’s work is always good for a few thrills no matter where his whims take him.
That wasn’t obvious in 1995, when Fincher released Seven (or Se7en, if you want to stretch the limits of what a ‘v’ looks like). A gritty thriller from the man who’d just butchered a beloved franchise with Alien 3 (or ALIEN3, if you want to stretch the limits of what a movie title looks like)? Starring pretty boy Brad Pitt (or William Bradly Pitt, if you want to stretch the limits of what this joke looks like)? It would never work.
