Review of The Social Network (2010) by Thomas B — 21 Jul 2016

2010 has been a great year for films. There have been some truly groundbreaking works of art and films which have set the bar high for action and drama alike. Bear that in mind when I tell you that The Social Network outshines them all. This thinking may come heavily opposed but the fact is that you're not likely to see another film as perfectly cast, written, acted or directed for a long time, and it's been a long time since we have. Based upon the book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, The Social Network revolves around the creation one of the biggest websites of all time: Facebook and its creator, Mark Zuckerberg. .

One of the greatest things about this film is Aaron Sorkin's script. Writer of A Few Good Men, The American President and the brilliant TV series The West Wing, Sorkin's incredibly rapid-fire script sparkles with a witty fury which dares you to keep up. Even West Wing watchers will find it difficult to catch every line without the occassional one flying over their heads. His conversations often go three different ways at once until they become suddenly, rivettingly intense and it's impossible to look away from the screen. It's been three years since we've seen one of Sorkin's scripts in action and it's fantastic to see that not only has he not lost his touch, he's getting better and better as the years go on. .

David Fincher has already established himself as an amazing director and in this film he shows himself to be an auteur of the highest calibre. His fantastic depth of field with every shot shows his incredible attention to detail and the way he manipulates his onscreen images in order to affect his audience. With an incredible CV of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Se7en and the monumental Fight Club, The Social Network is one of his finest yet. His use of shots shows an understanding of the audience which is lacking in many films and a talent missing in many of today's directors. His signature bronze murky colouring to every shot makes for startling comparisons between deposition scenes, smoky bars and booming night-clubs. .

The music is fantastic, a great blend of old school and new school tracks, as well as some well placed classical pieces which all come together brilliantly. The original score for the film is beautifully restrained, fitting perfectly in the brighter scenarios and the darker ones, a beautiful melancholy piece which you'll be humming all the way home from the cinema. .

And the acting. Cast to perfection, everyone on screen performs their role brilliantly. Jesse Eisenberg is amazing as Mark, speeding through his lines as if it's a race to the end of every sentence, it's as if he's been tailor made to Aaron Sorkin's needs. Finally being given the role he deserves and one which showcases his incredible talent, Eisenberg makes the most of his part, playing it perfectly. Armie Hammer is fantastic as the Winklevi as well as Max Minghella as Divya Narendra. The next Lisbeth Salander, Rooney Mara, is one of the standouts of the cast, magnetic in her limited screen time as Erica Albright. She has the steely determination and vulnerability perfect for her role and she rattles off her lines with a disarming realism. Mr. Multi-talent himself, Justin Timberlake, is incredible as Sean Parker, speaking with infinite charm and manipulation with equal parts comedy and smoothness. But it's Andrew Garfield who is the real standout here, which is saying something in a cast this fantastic. He is convincingly real in everything he does, from the very finest detail. He is perfectly restrained throughout the film, even though his temper comes to boil well before the incredible climax. His performance is perfectly judged and always convincing. With any hope it'll be his year for an Oscar nod. .

These parts by themselves are incredible but the way they all come together seamlessly and breathakingly is the reason that this film is being talked about so much. You'd be hard pressed to find a better combination of a cast, director and writer anywhere in film history, nor a film with such incredible content, perfect pacing and astonishing set pieces where the dialogue is more explosive than the Die Hard box set. I'm gonna say it right now: instant classic. It may be a big call but if any film is worthy of it, it's this one. .

Defining Scene: .

Mark returns from The Thirsty Scholar to do a little intoxicated blogging. And crashes Harvard's network at 4:00am.