Someone on Twitter asked everyone to pick between David Fincher or Denis Villeneuve. It wasn’t an easy decision, but I ultimately landed on Fincher. 

Here’s why. 

Fincher has the more literary filmography. 

After Sicario, Villeneuve drifted from truly literary works to a hybrid style that’s based in the blockbuster but brings in the thematic gesture of an auteur and the visual audacity of an IMAX specialist. The result of which has been Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and his Dune trilogy. All five films tell basic, plot-driven stories delivered with a sense of scope and scale that makes them feel immense. While there are themes for the thinkers, Villeneuve holds the viewer’s hand in a way that he didn’t do with the themes of his earlier works like Sicario, Enemy, and Prisoners. 

In terms of blockbusters, Villeneuve is on another level. But blockbusters are inherently limited by their focus on audience entertainment, opposed to literary films where the emphasis is on thematic expression.

For example, in Aftersun, Charlotte Wells’ stupendous debut, you don’t have anyone giving a big expository speech about Callum’s depression and the frame narrative of adult Sophie working through her grief by remembering events from her youth. The movie expresses those things by showing and letting the explanation live in the context and subtext. The audience either understands it or has to think about it or read about it or not get it. 

But Blade Runner 2049 includes and writes scenes specifically to guide the wide release audience. Whatever exists as subtext almost always becomes text, via dialogue. Character motivation is clearly stated so people can follow along. There are still some things shown rather than told, like the use of water as a symbol for life (or snow for death). But subtext is secondary as opposed to primary. 

Aftersun has an idea it’s focused on developing. Blade Runner 2049 has an audience experience in mind that it’s focused on providing. 

Fincher exists in a middle ground between the two. For the most part, he’s not as literary as truly literary films. His deepest work is also his most misunderstood: Fight Club. He’s working at such a higher level of showing-rather-than-telling that people assume depiction equals endorsement, when there’s far more going on. Between both Fincher’s and Denis’ filmographies, I’d argue Fight Club is the deepest work. 

The rest of Fincher’s filmography settles into a place where he never goes full blockbuster the way Nolan and Villeneuve have but he also doesn’t emphasize themes the way higherbrow films do. You could watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and love the story and never once consider how the film builds to a statement about time as a force of nature that washes away all of these amazing human stories. You could watch The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and love the mystery of it, the thrills of it, and overlook its conversation about men and women.  

Fincher is almost too passive when it comes to communicating with the audience. Which is probably why he’s become a touch underrated and overlooked. Meanwhile, Villeneuve has taken the path Spielberg blazed and Nolan innovated: the high-end blockbuster. It’s not an easy thing to do, otherwise you’d see Michael Bay doing it. But as impressive as Interstellar is, it’s not as deep as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Same with Blade Runner 2049. Compared to the original Blade Runner, 2049 shine is a pale fire. Scott’s film is theme-driven, start to finish. Villeneuve’s is not. Plot is paramount and that emphasis limits what the film can actually say.   

So, yeah, Fincher. 

But! Villeneuve has the ability to completely blow Fincher out of the water. Enemy is essentially Villeneuve’s version of Fight Club. The literary talent is there. The question is whether or not Denis will ever quit the blockbuster. Nolan hasn’t. We thought once Denis finished the Dune films he would do something smaller. Nope. He’s the new leader of the James Bond franchise. Which I’m thrilled about. Denis doing Bond is going to be an amazing time. I just hope that one day Denis will return to his literary roots.