2023's The Killer is the latest ice-cold thriller by director David Fincher. Over his 30-year career, Fincher has made a name for himself as an obsessive and precise creator of thrilling genre pieces. His approach of doing dozens and dozens of takes to find exactly what he's looking for has led to some describing his style as cold and robotic.
While it is true that this approach leads to his films lacking emotional warmth, it also gives them a stone-cold edge that few can replicate. As Fincher has worked with many different writers throughout the years, many of his characters share a sharp and intelligent wit, and most of his films can be characterized by an unfeeling perpetual danger. The dialogue these characters deliver can be equally chilling, cutting deep and precise, staying with a viewer long after the credits have rolled.
Updated on February 19, 2025, by Ajay Aravind: David Fincher might be working on a Western titled Bitterroot, but fans have already gone too long without hearing any more news. That said, it has been confirmed that Fincher would be working on a US adaptation of Squid Game, one of the most popular series on Netflix. Until the famed director's next movie is released, we have updated this article with five more iconic quotes from Fincher's filmography.
15 "Stick to Your Plan... Fight Only the Battle You're Paid to Fight."
The Killer (Michael Fassbender)
Stick to your plan. Anticipate. Don't improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight.
The mantra constantly delivered by Michael Fasbender's nameless assassin in The Killer acts as a cold reminder of the hitman's singular focus when it comes to his work. While on his mission throughout this Fincher movie, this repeated chant reminds the audience that the Killer's focus is absolute. He has a plan, and he will not deviate from it.
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There is no room in this mantra for empathy or improvisation. If his stated plan is to kill, then that is what he needs to do. For all the times this line is repeated, it's always in voice-over. In other words, it's a thought that goes around inside the Killer's head repeatedly, constantly reminding himself of what's important to him and how he should never succumb to compassion. The last part of the quote is particularly noteworthy, as it also highlights his refusal to kill beyond his missions.
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The Killer
R
Action
AdventureCrime
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
- Runtime
- 118 Minutes
- Director
- David Fincher
Cast
-
Michael Fassbender
-
Tilda Swinton
-
Kerry O'Malley
-
Charles Parnell
WHERE TO WATCH
Streaming
A seasoned assassin finds his meticulously controlled life unraveling when a high-stakes contract goes awry. As he becomes the target of a relentless pursuit, he must navigate a treacherous web of deceit and danger.
- Studio(s)
- Plan B Entertainment, BOOM! Studios
14 "This Was Freedom. Losing All Hope Was Freedom."
The Narrator (Edward Norton)
Now a cult classic, Fight Club's dismal atmosphere was the best way for Fincher to adapt the narrative texture of Chuck Palahniuk's original novel. The skies are always overcast or dark, leaving audiences to nervously anticipate everything that's going to happen. In the beginning, the Narrator appears to be an ordinary man, but the story takes him through a terrifying roller-coaster as a symbol of the state of modern masculinity.
This was freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.
The Narrator attends numerous support groups to regain access to his emotions, an unhealthy process that presumably results in the creation of Tyler Durden: the ideal man in the mind of the average Joe. Before this, however, the Narrator realizes that happiness and freedom can only come from a complete loss of hope. He doesn't mean getting bogged down in despair, but rather live without considering the consequences. This quote might be chilling, but it only gets worse from here.
13 "I Think You've Got One Inside of You."
Francis Aaron (Ralph Brown)
David Fincher's first stab at filmmaking was a complicated disaster. Alien 3 is phenomenal in parts before turning into cinematic sewage by the conclusion, all thanks to the producers' interference and indecisiveness. As much as Fincher has admitted hating this movie, it was a worthy attempt at continuing the gripping Alien franchise. Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, this time marooned on a barren asteroid home to a maximum-security prison.
I don't know how to tell you this; I think you got one inside you.
Fans of the franchise know exactly how dangerous the Xenomorph is, so hearing Francis Aaron say this quote to Ripley was nothing less than a rude awakening. Aaron tells the iconic protagonist that she now has a Xenomorph inside her body. Having endured, defeated, and killed dozens by then, Ripley isn't exactly shocked, but her reaction is what makes the line feel so ice-cold. Ripley knows that her time is up — all she can do now is prevent the Xenomorph from hatching.
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Alien 3
r
Action
HorrorSci-Fi
Thriller- Release Date
- May 22, 1992
- Runtime
- 114minutes
Cast
-
Sigourney Weaver
-
Charles S. Dutton
-
Charles Dance
-
Paul McGann
- Director
- David Fincher
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
12 "Come Home, Amy. I Dare You."
Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck)
The relationship between married couple Nick and Amy Dunne can be called dysfunctional at best, and surreally nightmarish at worst. When Amy goes missing, Nick genuinely wants to see his wife again. However, he soon changes his mind after realizing her plan was actually to disappear herself and get Nick punished for her abduction and murder. At the press conference, Nick pleads innocence before begging his wife to "please come home."
Come home, Amy. I dare you.
Amy does end up responding to his pleas but not before Nick delivers this quote, out of sight of the cameras and the press. Now that protests have erupted surrounding Amy's presumed murder, Nick coldly dares his wife to come home. The ominous tone of this statement is unnerving enough, but audiences begin supporting Amy after hearing Nick. Not for long, though.
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Gone Girl
9.50
DramaDocumentary
Mystery
Thriller- Release Date
- October 1, 2014
- Runtime
- 2h 29m
Cast
-
Ben Affleck
-
Rosamund Pike
-
Neil Patrick Harris
-
Tyler Perry
- Director
- David Fincher
11 "I'm Setting the Example"
John Doe (Kevin Spacey)
We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it's trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example.
Kevin Spacey's John Doe is the despicable antagonist of Se7en, although the true extent of his depravity isn't made clear until the movie's final scene. Right before Detective Mills discovers the infernal box, he has a conversation with John Doe secured in the back of his police car. The villain spouts off about his victims, arguing that they deserved what was coming to them.
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John Doe arrogantly claims that he killed people just because they were obese, drug dealers, lawyers, and sex workers. One of them was simply a woman who had presumably received plastic surgery. Fans don't feel the icy hostility of this quote until the end when Doe effectively declares himself a savior to rid the world of its sins. He wants other people to follow in his lead, to commit horrific atrocities on innocent people for made-up reasons, and nothing can be scarier than that—except maybe the box.
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Se7en
R
Thriller DramaCrime
Mystery
- Release Date
- September 22, 1995
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
Cast
-
Brad Pitt
-
Gwyneth Paltrow
-
John C. McGinley
-
Morgan Freeman
- Director
- David Fincher
- Studio(s)
- New Line Cinema
10 "You Have Part of My Attention — You Have the Minimum Amount."
Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg)
The combination of Aaron Sorkin's dialogue and Fincher's direction is a match made in heaven, and it's a shame there hasn't been more from this incendiary combination. In a film filled with memorable lines, this is undoubtedly the one that cuts the deepest. During one of the depositions, where The Social Network's Mark Zuckerberg is being questioned about some old emails, the Winklevoss Twins' lawyer condescendingly asks if he has Zuckerberg's full attention.
You have part of my attention — you have the minimum amount.
What follows is a sharp and pointed comeback about how the deposition doesn't deserve his attention and how the Winklevoss twins are more concerned with lying and trying to steal Zuckerberg's ideas rather than coming up with their own. Most people wish they had the speed, creativity, and boldness to pull comebacks like that at any moment. However, the scene also highlights Zuckerberg's coldness and indifferences with other people.
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The Social Network
PG-13
Drama- Release Date
- October 1, 2010
- Runtime
- 121 minutes
- Director
- David Fincher
- Writers
- Ben Mezrich, Aaron Sorkin
- Producers
- Ceán Chaffin, Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Scott Rudin
Cast
-
Jesse Eisenberg
Mark Zuckerberg
-
Andrew Garfield
Eduardo Saverin
-
Armie Hammer
Cameron Winklevoss / Tyler Winklevoss
-
Justin Timberlake
Sean Parker
9 "From the Beginning of History, the Few Have Always Exploited the Many."
The Killer (Michael Fassbender)
Another iconic line from The Killer is another quote that the titular assassin recites multiple times throughout the film, once during the long opening monologue and again towards the film's conclusion. It summarizes a philosophy that plays an important role within the film, ultimately suggesting that there are two types of people: those who get killed and those who do the killing.
From the beginning of history, the few have always exploited the many. This is the cornerstone of civilization.
The Killer constantly shows what it takes to live on either side of the line and the consequences that inevitably await those on the side of the many. It's a pattern that creates a perpetual fear in the audience as they see the requirements for taking the side of the few. Most will realize that no matter how hard they try, it is a barrier they cannot cross, and they must live with the resulting ramifications. Finally, this line also showcases the power of the 1% against the helplessness of the 99%.
8 "This Is Your Life, and It's Ending One Minute at a Time."
The Narrator (Edward Norton)
Another voice-over line comes from Edward Norton's Narrator in Fight Club, lamenting the mundanity of his everyday life. A line that's chilling both for its universal relatability — nearly everyone has felt like that at some point or the other — and for how it foreshadows what's to come. The Narrator barely felt alive until he began the titular Fight Club, highlighting how this quote could have also been a motivational line for other men in the audience.
This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time.
The mundanity of the Narrator's life is what draws him to create Tyler Durden from his own mental instability, ultimately resulting in the rest of the movie's increasingly chaotic events. At first, their small act of social rebellion is exhilarating, but then things start to go too far. Life can be painfully dull and it is indeed ending one minute at a time for everyone. But even though an alternative can be exciting, Fight Club demonstrates that it's not always an improvement.
7 "...the Fear of Offending Could Be Stronger Than the Fear of Pain."
Martin Vanger (Stellan Skarsgård)
You'd never think the fear of offending could be stronger than the fear of pain, but you know what? It is. They always come willingly.
Every line is more chilling when it's delivered by Stellan Skarsgård in a torture basement. Like the other lines of dialogue, this quote becomes all the worse for saying something as true in the movie as it is for human nature in general. People often prefer preserving decorum over the threat of clear and present danger, which can lead to severely undesirable consequences.
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At this point in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Mikael Blomkvist has worked out that Martin Vanger was the serial killer he had been hunting for. He goes to Martin's secluded home to investigate, but the villain returns home when Mikael is still there. Mikael can get out, but Martin spots him and invites him back in for a drink. The fear of offending his "host" led to Mikael being caught in a torture dungeon where many had been killed before him.
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
R
Thriller DramaCrime
Mystery
- Release Date
- December 21, 2011
- Runtime
- 158 minutes
- Director
- David Fincher
- Writers
- Steven Zaillian
- Sequel(s)
- The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest
Cast
-
Christopher Plummer
-
Robin Wright
-
Stellan Skarsgård
-
Rooney Mara
6 "What's in the Box?"
Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt)
The final stroke of John Doe's so-called master plan in Se7en was to murder Tracey Mills and have her head delivered in a box, causing her husband David Mills to succumb to wrath. Fincher never shows the audience what's inside the box, but from Somerset's reaction and Doe's taunting, they're able to put two and two together.
I saw you with a box. What was in the box?
By the time Mills asks the faithful question, deep down, he already knows the answer. He continues repeating the question, getting more furious and frustrated with each attempt, but Doe doesn't make it easy for him. No one ever directly confirms the contents of the box, so it's the question that lingers. Both Mills and the audience are left to imagine it for themselves. In the end, John Doe gets what he wants when David Mills shoots him in the head.
5 "I Can't Just Disappear. My Children Need My Life Insurance."
Dolores (Kerry O'Malley)
Delivered by Dolores, this is an understated line from the third chapter of The Killer, albeit one layered with a much darker meaning. Fassbender's assassin breaks into a lawyer's office to obtain information. Inside are the Lawyer and his secretary Dolores. After his interrogation of the Lawyer goes awry, the Killer turns his attention to the secretary, which is when she quotes this thoroughly chilling line.
I can't just disappear. My children need my life insurance.
She doesn't beg for her life, as she knows that it's already lost. Instead of pleading for mercy, Dolores calmly begs the assassin to deal with her in such a way that will allow her family to claim her life insurance. This is the bargain she makes to get him the information she wants. Dolores never asks to be spared because, in the morally corrupt world of a Fincher film, that's a pointless request.
4 "Men Always Use That, Don't They, as Their Defining Compliment..."
Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike)
The concept of the "cool girl" and its creation by patriarchal society has remained the major cultural talking point from Gillian Flynn's novel, Gone Girl. In Fincher's film adaptation, the line comes almost exactly at the halfway point, during a montage that reveals the horrifying manner in which Amy Dunne faked her death and framed her husband, Nick.
Men always use that, don't they, as their defining compliment — 'she's a cool girl.'
This line in the voice-over is chilling because it unmasks the full performative nature of Nick and Amy's relationship. She was only playing the part of the cool girl because it was what he wanted from her. In turn, Amy was manipulating Nick to be her ideal man, except he was completely oblivious. The reality of the line and how it felt as though Amy was verbalizing a long-standing unspoken social truth — a fact that has borne out in the phrase's longevity — only adds to how deep it cuts.
3 "Of Those Who Like to Put Their Faith in Mankind's Inherent Goodness..."
The Killer (Michael Fassbender)
Fincher's filmography routinely explores the darkest and most violent depths of humanity. They are highly realistic worlds of murder, deceit, and betrayal that rarely find happy endings. If this is his way of seeing the world, then it becomes impossible to put any faith in humanity's inherent goodness. The Killer is as dark as any Fincher film before it, where innocents are killed without warning, remorse, or justification.
Of those who like to put their faith in mankind's inherent goodness, I have to ask, based on what, exactly?
It seems the only way to survive in The Killer—or indeed any Fincher thriller—is to always be on guard and question everyone's good intentions. What's chilling is that this line appears in voice-over format as the Killer watches people around him, including a small child and an old man in a wheelchair. It forces the audience to reconsider the value of all life, even the most precious, in a world where mercy doesn't seem to exist.
2 "Not Many People Have Basements in California."
Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Not many people have basements in California.
Fincher's masterpiece of investigative obsession around the hunt for the Zodiac killer is one of his all-around great accomplishments. In a rather inconspicuous scene set years after the Zodiac murders, cartoonist Robert Graysmith visits cinema organist Bob Vaughn. Graysmith is there to interview Vaughn about a projectionist whose handwriting matches the Zodiac killer's.
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During their conversation, Vaughn reveals that the sample Graysmith is using is his handwriting, not the projectionist's. Earlier in the film, it was deduced that the Zodiac killer had a basement, an unusual feature for houses in California. So when Vaughn reveals the basement is where he keeps his records, all of Graysmith's alarm bells go off. If there's anything to learn from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, it's to stay away from creepy basements, even if it's impolite.
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Zodiac
R
Crime
DramaMystery
Thriller- Release Date
- March 2, 2007
- Runtime
- 157 minutes
- Director
- David Fincher
- Writers
- James Vanderbilt
- Producers
- Ceán Chaffin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Bradley J. Fischer
Cast
-
Jake Gyllenhaal
-
Mark Ruffalo
-
Anthony Edwards
-
Robert Downey Jr.
Paul Avery
Between 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.
1 "You Are the Same Decaying Organic Matter as Everything Else."
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt)
There's no better way to end this list than a quote from Tyler Durden, arguably the most famous character from any Fincher movie. As an extension of the Narrator's toxic masculinity, Tyler "convinces" him to start a fight club that soon expands into a literal cult. Calling it Project Mayhem, Tyler soon begins causing havoc across the city. He also conscripts a bunch of new members, treating them almost exactly the way new soldiers are treated.
You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We are all part of the same compost heap.
The modern connotation of the word "snowflake" may not have originated in Fight Club, but it might have inspired its prominent usage. Tyler also mocks the new recruits by comparing them to decomposition and death, an extremely dangerous thought process that callously implies no life is sacred. It could have resulted in far worse damage than the destruction of a few buildings if the Narrator hadn't deleted Tyler Durden from his consciousness.
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Fight Club
R
Drama- Release Date
- October 15, 1999
- Runtime
- 139 minutes
- Director
- David Fincher
- Writers
- Jim Uhls
- Franchise(s)
- Fight Club
Cast
-
Brad Pitt
-
Meat Loaf
-
Edward Norton
-
Jared Leto
