15. Patty Smyth “Downtown Train” (1987)
It may not be the best cover of this peerless Tom Waits song, but nobody told the gloriously gritty black and white images. Fincher uses everything in the black and white toolbox here, from strobes to shadow effects to directional lighting, but it’s at the opposite end of the crisp glamor of “Vogue” and the like, delivering grimy texture.
14.A Perfect Circle “Judith”
(2000)
It’s “just” a performance video, but this later-period music promo for Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s second most famous band is really Fincher, stylistically closer to “Se7en” than anything else he’s done in its use of scratchy film, jittery camerawork and a trademark grimy, grungy palette.
13. Aerosmith “Janie’s Got A Gun”
(1990)
So 1990 was quite the year for Fincher, though it’s hard to believe that this and Billy Idol’s “Cradle of Love” came the same year as “Vogue” and “Freedom 90.” Still, it may not be quite as iconic as those clips, but watch the storyline footage —the close-ups of bullets going onto chambers, the gumshoe-style investigator, the flashlights. It’s clear Fincher’s waiting for his chance to go noir in a feature. The performance sections are pretty ace too.
12. Steve Winwood “Roll With It”
(1988)
Sometimes keeping it simple works, and this sepia New Orleansy promo with its raunchy dancing, sweat-slicked skin and hair and sensuous vibe is a straightforward, effective exercise in atmosphere.
11. Don Henley “The End Of The Innocence” (1989)
A beautiful if somber video, and appropriately so, given Henley’s sober delivery of this mournful ode to times past/slightly skeezy remembrance of a deflowering. Fincher mostly picks up on its more political resonances though (Oliver North on TV) and delivers an elegiac lament for the Americana of old.
10. Nine Inch Nails “Only”
(2005)
With what’s become a frequent collaboration with Trent Reznor kicking off when a cover of “Closer” was used on the credits of “Se7en,” Fincher finally returned the favor in 2005 and directed this promo for Nine Inch Nails. It’s a particularly clinical piece from the director, technically impressive rather than particularly engaging in its own right.
9. Madonna “Bad Girl”
(1993)
Anything that starts with Christopher Walken as a smitten Angel of Death hovering atop a lamppost will earn our attention. Indeed, Walken’s presence, along with the rich photography and fluid storytelling, makes this luxuriant promo probably the most “cinematic” on the list so far. But Madonna is very bad at smoking.
8. Paula Abdul “Straight Up”
(1989)
A classic black and white dancy video featuring harsh, directional lighting and a graphically split background, this clip feels pretty timeless and has aged well. Though possibly I’m just battered into submission as this seems to have been on TV throughout my entire childhood.
7. Justin Timberlake feat Jay-Z “Suit & Tie” (2013)
Eight years after his last video (Nine Inch Nails’ “Only”) and fully established as one of the foremost and most Oscar-nominated American directors, Fincher came back to the format and didn’t disappoint with this stunning-looking clip. Again showcasing Fincher’s way with choreography, it’s also got a fab light show bit and even knits some rather Jonathan Glazer-esque moments of people jumping in slo-mo against black backgrounds that flash to white. Just a shame about the rather fey song that it’s all nominally in service of, and did we really need the women to be in their underwear?
6. The Rolling Stones “Love Is Strong”
(1994)
So just before Fincher hit the feature jackpot with “Se7en” he released this massively successful and influential promo for The Rolling Stones. Again, the simplicity of the concept is key, and it’s all delivered with such wit and mischief that we nearly forget that it’s actually a horror movie. How else can you describe the possibility of a 90 ft Keith Richards?
