Two votes from me today, even if seeing these films land now is sort of bittersweet. I am glad they both made it, never really questioned that they would, but honestly think they both should be in the top 20, with Zodiac perhaps being Top 10. Alas, apparently, not enough people place it in the noir style, so here we are.
Zodiac is a masterpiece, pure and simple. I have seen this film many times, and I have yet to find a flaw in it. I go back and forth on whether or not
Zodiac or
Se7en is Fincher's best, but I think when the chips are down, I would probably go with
Zodiac, as it is the subtler film. Or maybe it's
Se7en...like I said, I go back and forth!
Anyway, I had
Zodiac on my ballot at
#5. It is easy the best of the genre from the 2000's, and stands toe to toe with some of the best of all time. I couldn't in good conscience bump it any higher, as objectively it isn't a pure noir, and I feel my top 4 are all quintessential examples of the style and themes of noir.
Fincher is incredibly detail-oriented film maker, and this is a wonderful example of him doing almost everything perfectly. The casting, the sets, the vibe, and even his amazingly subtle use of CGI create an absolutely convincing period piece that I never get tired of watching.
As for
Thief, I ran across the name as I perused lists of neos to watch on the run up, and it rang a bell, but I couldn't recall anything about the film. I watched it with my wife soon after the countdowns were announced, and we both loved it. I have since watched it two more times over the past couple of months, and it is an excellent example of the style. I love the city at night stuff, with the watery pavement and the shimmering lights and the minimal synth soundtrack totally works and locks it into its era nicely. The robbery with the thermite is a highlight, but overall, Thief is fantastic stuff. I had it at
#18, but if I had submitted my ballot after the subsequent viewings, it might have made top 10.
My wife says that it may end up in her top 10 of all time with a couple more viewings. She loved it!