“It was my fault”: the movie ending David Fincher couldn’t figure out
If there’s one thing David Fincher knows well, it’s how to direct an ending. By spending the majority of his filmmaking career working in the thriller genre, he’s mastered the art of suspense and subsequent payoff, delivering some of the most shocking and memorable endings in contemporary cinema.
From the strangely calming circular shot that concludes Gone Girl to Mark Zuckerberg’s continual keyboard refreshes in The Social Network, Fincher’s endings stick with you long after you leave the cinema or hit the standby button on your remote. It’s a talent he’s honed unlike any other director, but even very early into his career, Fincher was forging this feeling with his work.
After venturing into feature directing with the disappointing Alien 3, Fincher found his real start with Se7en, which would also kick off his love for an impactful ending. The “What’s in the box?” scene that concludes the film is still endlessly quoted and referenced almost three decades later. So, too, is the twist ending to Fight Club, which stands as one of the most iconic endings of all time.
But somewhere in between those two movies, Fincher took a slight misstep in his journey to becoming the auteur of endings. Following the success of Se7en, Fincher directed The Game, a thriller starring Sean Penn and Michael Douglas. The film follows a banker as he takes part in the titular game, which begins to change the trajectory of his life.
The film didn’t perform quite as well as Se7en, as has been reflected in its lesser legacy, and Fincher himself was particularly disappointed in one aspect of the movie: the ending. While speaking with IndieWire, he noted that his wife had cautioned him against the project, suggesting, “in hindsight,” that she was right.
“We didn’t figure out the third act,” he acknowledged, “and it was my fault.” In the third act of the film, Douglas’ character, Nick, becomes increasingly distressed by the game until the truth is revealed. When Nick decides to jump from a roof, his brother finally reveals himself as the mastermind behind everything, with the intention to change his perspective on life.
“I had to do something,” he shrugs, “You were becoming such an asshole.” It’s not quite as shocking as some of Fincher’s other films. It lacks the shock factor that Se7en pulls off so well, the creeping feeling of inevitability that Brad Pitt’s character will fulfil that last deadly sin. There’s no twist like in Fight Club, no real reveal. The reveal is exactly what we knew from the start.
Fincher’s intention with the final act was to keep his “foot on the throttle,” anticipating that it would be “liberating and funny,” but this didn’t quite pay off like some of his other works. Still, it’s hard to match the quality of the rest of Fincher’s catalogue, and The Game remains a thrilling watch despite the somewhat disappointing third act.
It’s easy to see why Fincher was so disappointed that he had failed to pull off a perfect third act, as this is so often the focus of his filmmaking. Still, despite the slight misstep he took with The Game, Fincher’s oeuvre is still filled to the brim with unparalleled endings that leave you with your mouth wide open. He remains the modern master of the thriller.
Revisit the trailer for The Game below.
