Pretty simple premise. Both have directed almost exactly the same amount of feature films. Both are staples of 00s/10s in their respective genres and have a similiar style.

Chronologically film by film. Which film do you prefer.

Alien³ vs Following (wins)

Se7en (wins) vs Memento

The Game (wins) vs Insomnia

Fight Club vs Batman Begins (wins)

Panic Room vs The Prestige (wins)

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight (wins)

The Curious Case.. vs Inception (wins)

The Social Network (wins) vs The Dark Knight Rises

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo vs Interstellar (wins)

Gone Girl (wins) vs Dunkirk

Mank vs Tenet draw

6-4-1, Nolan wins for me. Nolan was better in the 00s, and Fincher was better in the 10s.

No way does Fight Club lose to Batman Begins. Both great movies, but Fight Club is another level.

Yep. Memento and Se7en are a tie for me, and Fight Club beats Batman Begins (though these are probably my two favorite movies of theirs). I'd also take Alien 3 over Following.

Alien 3 assembly cut is decent but what do you think about the rest? I’d say that Mank and Tenet were both disappointing but overall both directors have produced a lot of quality films.

i don’t see a easy win for either guy, even though I think Fincher is better at crafting things

I think that Fight Club is overrated and one of Fincher's weakest films. Besides Tyler Durden, I really don't see how it can be considered better than Zodiac, TSN, Se7en or Gone Girl.

Begins is 3rd best Nolan film after TDK and Inception for me, so not an hard choice r

Panic Room is better than The Prestige. I do not understand the love for the latter film, it's boring.

What about the rest?

I used to like the Prestige better than Panic Room, but you make a compelling argument. Panic Room it is.

Alien 3 vs Following

Se7en vs Memento

The Game vs Insomnia

Fight Club vs Batman Begins

Panic Room vs The Prestige

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight

The Curious Case.. vs Inception

The Social Network vs The Dark Knight Rises

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo vs Interstellar

Gone Girl vs Dunkirk

Mank vs Tenet

7 - 3
Ill admit, that surprised me.

I only included films where I've seen both. Fincher is probably one of the most talented directors who makes films I'm not that interested in seeing.

Se7en (wins) vs Memento

The Game (wins) vs Insomnia

Fight Club vs Batman Begins (wins)

Panic Room (wins) vs The Prestige

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight (wins)

Haha, no I don't. I've watched Panic Room multiple times, it's a well made, suspenseful thriller. I've only seen The Prestige once, it didn't click for me at all, and I feel like films that rely so much on a big twist don't hold up to repeat viewings. But I'm in the minority on this opinion and there's nothing wrong with that, both filmmakers do good work.

so you aren’t interested or haven’t watched the rest? Would you give the edge to Nolan in this case?

i would recommend seeing gone girl and girl with dragon tattoo. But if it’s not your cup of tea is ok

I have little interest in Benjamin Button, The Social Network, Dunkirk(enough with the WWII movies), or Mank. I actually blind bought Gone Girl on bluray but haven't watched it yet, I think it might be something I enjoy. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo sounds good but I'm not sure if I'd rather read the books, or watch the Swedish versions since they adapted the entire trilogy.

I'd give every one of them a watch, you should enjoy Gone Girl. It’s thrilling and has great acting and storyline.

did you saw Tenet or TDKR or Interstellar?

I'd rather see a Fincher film before Nolan.

Mank was an unbelievable chore to get through.

Alien³ vs Following - If we’re talking about the “Assembly Cut”. It’s actually a very good movie. The theatrical cut is pretty bad though. Not sure we can totally blame Fincher for it though.

Se7en vs Memento - I re-watched Memento about a week ago. It doesn’t hold up quite as well as I remembered. Se7en is a masterful thriller.

The Game vs Insomnia - Neither are particularly memorable. The Game doesn’t hold up under any scrutiny.

Fight Club vs Batman Begins - Fight Club is great for the first 2/3. It completely falls apart in the 3rd act though.

Panic Room vs The Prestige - Prestige isn’t perfect but hold up much better on repeat viewings.

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight - I’ve really tried to like Zodiac. It just doesn’t click with me.

The Curious Case.. vs Inception - IMO, these are the film best from each director. Benjamin Button lags a bit in the middle and could use some slightly tighter editing. Inception is Nolan’s masterpiece.

The Social Network vs The Dark Knight Rises - Social Network is a great film. The Dark Knight Rises isn’t.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo vs Interstellar - I love the atmosphere of Dragon Tattoo. Such a letdown that the trilogy never got made from Fincher. Interstellar is good but wears out its welcome by the end.

Gone Girl vs Dunkirk - I’ve only seen Gone Girl once and really should re-visit it. I just read-watched Dunkirk last week. I appreciate the more intimate approach that Nolan took.

Mank vs Tenet - Mank is a complete disappointment. Tenet doesn’t make a ton of sense and loses itself a bit in the premise but it was a damn fun movie to watch.

4-7 in favor of Nolan. Both Fincher and Nolan are two of my favorite directors working today.

Good directing, good acting and great writing but yeah the third act is a bit boring.

not something I would revisit but it was better done that Tenet, which is a more fun movie that’s why I picked it, at least I did enjoy it

I'll wait till stvn1974 weighs in.

Se7en is probably my favorite film from either director. It's fantastic.

Alien³ vs Following (never seen Following)

Se7en vs Memento -- both films are exceptional

The Game vs Insomnia -- both films are somewhat underrated

Fight Club vs Batman Begins -- another exceptional pairing, and BB is probably the best Batman movie ever made. But FC is next level, even if mindless dipshits around the Internet mistook it as a male empowerment movie for decades and continue to do so, turning it into an Incel National Anthem of sorts.

Panic Room vs The Prestige -- Panic Room is a bit Fincher-lite but enjoyable entertainment

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight -- probably the 2nd best matchup after Seven v. Memento

The Curious Case.. vs Inception -- I'm nor the biggest Inception fan, although I do like it very much. Benjamin Button is nigh-unwatchable

The Social Network vs The Dark Knight Rises - this was an easy choice. I like TDKR but it has its flaws. TSN is a masterful piece of work

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo vs Interstellar -- two subpar efforts, Dragon Tattoo is the better movie but neither is a slam dunk

Gone Girl vs Dunkirk -- haven't seen GG. Dunkirk is a quality film.

Mank vs Tenet -- haven't seen Mank. Tenet is a compelling piece of WTF Did I Just Watch.

So from what I've seen, it's a 4-4 tie.

Alien³ vs Following

Se7en vs Memento

The Game vs Insomnia

Fight Club vs Batman Begins

Panic Room vs The Prestige

Zodiac vs The Dark Knight

The Curious Case.. vs Inception

The Social Network vs The Dark Knight Rises

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo vs Interstellar

Gone Girl vs Dunkirk

Mank vs Tenet (Have not not seen either)

Fincher wins 7-3

Best film of all is definitely Fincher's mastrpiece Zodiac