In 2017,Mindhunterpremiered on Netflix and quickly cemented itself as David Fincher’s clear follow-up toSe7enand one of the director’s best works.Every David Fincher moviebrings something unique to the table, but they all have the director’s stylistic flair and deliberate, mysterious pace that draws the audience in.Se7encould be considered something of a cult classic,as it’s gained popularity in the years since it premiered and didn’t reach the magnitude of some of his other works; the same is true ofMindhunter. Watching the show today demonstrates its quality.
Fincher has made thebest crime movies of the past 30 years, includingSe7en,Zodiac, andGone Girl, all of which were spiritual precursors to his TV drama,Mindhunter. ThoughMindhunterwas a series, it synthesized many of the competing elements that Fincher had been playing with, finding a home within the TV sphere. Starring Jonathan Groff in his best role alongside Holt McCallany and Anna Torv,Mindhuntertracks the development of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI,touching upon real killers and criminal cases. The agents attempt to uncover what drives a serial killer.
David Fincher’s Mindhunter Feels Like A Spiritual Successor To Se7en
Se7en Laid The Groundwork For Mindhunter’s Thematic Arc
BothMindhunterandSe7endon’t just touch upon criminal cases and the gory violence of serial killers. They also focus on how working on such dark investigations changes the officers and agents.Se7enfollows Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as David Mills and William Somerset, two police detectives investigating a series of graphic murders just before Somerset is set to retire.Mindhunterseason 1 primarily focuses on Groff’s Holden Ford forming the BSUand interviewing criminals who are already in prison, discovering what makes them tick, in conjunction with a larger investigation.
There are many similarities betweenMindhunterandSe7en. The relationship between a more seasoned agent and a rookie with new ideas is a character dynamic that both projects grapple with. Additionally,it’s clear thatSe7endraws upon the history of the BSUand the information that’s been amassed about the inner workings of serial killers. In being part of the team of executive producers and directing some of the episodes ofMinhunter, Fincher got to explore the origin of these story elements.
Mindhunter Is Among David Fincher’s Best Work Despite The Short Run
Though Mindhunter Only Ran For Two Seasons, It Was Memorable
Mindhunterdeserved better than its cancellation, as the series' two seasons weren’t enough for audiences who fell in love with the tense atmosphere and interrogative character development. The series is far from the first Netflix show to be axed after only a few seasons, despite its promise and dedicated cult following. However, even within this limited timeline,Mindhunterhad no trouble making its mark on the crime drama genre.Each episode was carefully crafted and felt like a miniature moviein and of itself.
In some ways,Mindhuntercould be considered Fincher’s best work.
In some ways,Mindhuntercould be considered Fincher’s best work, as it brings together all the best parts of his style and purpose as a director. Though Fincher has always been interested in telling gruesome stories, the filmmaker focuses on the personal, delving into the heroes' psyches as much as the criminals.Mindhunterfinds the perfect balance between scratching the audience’s itch to see these terrifying and horror-esque elements expressed onscreen, while using this to understand why people are so interested in crime.
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Mindhunter Is Aging To Be A Cult Classic Just Like Se7en
Mindhunter Has Remained As Potent Today As It Was In 2017
As the years have progressed,bothMindhunterandSe7enhave gained so much recognitionthat they’ve almost transcended the moniker of cult classics. There have been consistent calls for Netflix to reviveMindhunterand renew it for season 3. Though this is unlikely ever to happen, the fact that audiences and critics are still opening the characters and story might come back demonstrates the series' longevity and popularity. ThoughMindhunter, likeSe7en, isn’t always easy to watch, there’s something about its darkness that makes it impossible to turn off once you get sucked into the story.
Of course, it’s disappointing thatMindhunteris over, but Fincher helped craft a near-perfect TV show that will go down in history as an influential piece of crime television that will inspire many more. It’s never too late to discoverMindhunterand find out why so many viewers have spoken so highly of the project and keep rewatching it year after year. Revisiting the series today just reaffirms how fantastic the show is.Mindhunterhas aged incredibly well and will likely continue to do so as the true crime genre keeps exploding.
