David Fincher’s Nike Fate Commercial

Posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta

Have you sen David Fincher’s latest? No, not Benjamin Button… I’m talking about the Nike commercial he directed. “Fate” tells the life-long journey of pro football players LaDainian Tomlinson and Troy Polamalu as their destinies collide in an NFL football game.

Based on a concept by Wieden & Kennedy, the portland-based advertising agency behind some of Nike’s best campaigns (including Bo Knows, Spike Lee’s Mars Blackmon Air Jordan ads, Charles Barkley’s I Am Not a Role Model ad), the Bruce CVampbell Old Spice “Experience is Everything” ads, and Coke’s The Coke Side of Life campaign. Filmed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Sleepy Hallow, Ali, Great Expectations, Children of Men), edited by Angus Wall (Benjamin Button, Zodiac, Thumbsucker, Panic Room, and the creator iof the title sequences for Carnivale, Rome, and Big Love), and scored to a remix of Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

A fantastic but unexpected commercial. The spot feels more like the work of Michael Mann or Peter Berg. When I think Fincher, I think smooth yet edgy, but as far as I can remember, Fincher rarely makes use of handheld camerawork (maybe in Se7en). Thanks to DannyTRS for the recommendation.

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  • Arch Stanton
    Terrible commercial. Injustice to Morricone, I hope they at least sent him a large check, or a small check for a large amount. Fincher needs to work on Benjamin Button, not these boring NFL ads he does every year now.
  • Captain Awesome
    I saw this last week and it was great. very inspiring. The remix of Ecstasy of Gold only added to it's effect.

    Have any of you seen the Michael Mann football Nike ad? Which uses Promentory from The Last of the Mochicans. soundtrack.
  • Captain Awesome
    Arch Stanton,

    This is Fincher's roots. He started out as an ad and music video director before making hiw way into film. How do you think they got to use the track in the first place? They have to ask for permission and i'm fairly sure if there was a form of payment. Nike already made it happen.
  • MK
    Amazing, amazing spot. Thanks for the post.
  • Harry Lime
    Forget Fight Club's subversive message, David Fincher is a big advocate of sweat shops.
  • MonkeyMafia
    Right with you Harry Lime, don't let ads fool you into thinking they're anything else but ads... And screw the "roots" talk captain, I don't think he did the ad to get back in touch with his younger, more artistic self; Nike dropped a bunch of loot on his door and he accepted. Pe-tooey!
  • Captain Awesome
    I meant roots as in that's where he started. Why do you guys act like no one realizes what these ads are for? Of course I know what their purpose is and who employed them.

    Also let's not start the sweatshop talk. Unless westerners suddenly stopped wearing any clothes, stopped buying everything from China and India. I wouldn't act too indignant.
  • Elpizo
    I thought the ad was pretty good...
  • Dan
    Fincher did this? No wonder i liked it so much...


    Question:

    who directed the Nike commercial where Shawne Merriman continuously tackles people from different teams, then sacks Bulger who fumbles. Steven Jackson picks up the fumble then runs through different teams ending in that goalline stand vs Green Bay where he stretches his arm out?

    I love that commercial.
  • Dan
    I'm at work and most websites are locked so I can't link a video, otherwise I would. I'm sure most of you know which commercial I am referencing though...
  • Captain Awesome
    Dan,

    That's the Michael Mann ad ("Leave Nothing") I spoke of earlier.
  • Captain Awesome
  • h2opr00f
    Great commercial.. this felt like the "leave nothing behind" commecials with stephen jackson and merriman.. really enjoy Finchers work
  • Callum Turns
    There is also a "british version" for football (or soccer) directed by Guy Ritchie. Personally I think this one is much better but maybe I am just being biased.

    http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-3QHK7i-Y&
  • Didn't Jay-Z sample the same track for one of his songs? I think it was on The Blueprint II. Can't recall.

    Can anyone verify?
  • downtownoul
    i love this commercial. had no idea it was fincher. nike/jordan have really had some amazing commercials the last few years.
  • Mr. Comedian
    Song's on "Ennio Morricone Remixes Volume 2."

    Fantastic spot.
  • Stoned One
    It is a cool commercial, anything with Morricone has my seal of approval. I want to watch some Leone now... maybe I will throw on Once Upon a Time in America since I have 4 hours to kill.
  • Dan
    Thanks Captain Awesome!

    love that commercial and the song...didn't even recognize that from LOTM...haven't seen that since I was a kid. Time to go watch it again.
  • Daniel
    I first saw this last weekend and I thought it was very well done, didn't know it was by Fincher, though.
  • Antibodies
    There is a Nike logo twice in the ad and a reebok logo once.
  • Eugene
    Regarding the hand held, commercials are very commonly used as testing grounds for directors, cinematographers, editors, etc. Easy way to get paid and play around with stuff that they may be planning on using on their next film.
  • ds75
    I heard this song too much time

    Michael mann 'leave nothing" was much more better, it was epic.

    One of the best commercial i ever seen for sport.
  • joe
    the ad itself, as a whole, is good. interesting idea. the music is good and the cineminograpy is good. but its nothing groundbreaking. you could have picked any two nfl players and talked about how they were destined to meet later. if they picked two players who have met when they were young and play against each now, then the commerical might have a deeper impact
  • NO THANKS
    I really have to side with Captain Awesome. The majority of you guys don't even realize what you're talking about. Half of your closets innards were sewn in sweatshops.

    Anyways, commercial is damn awesome. Hate football, but love these badass spots.
  • BobC
    Nothing wrong with sweatshops. Keep in mind most of those people are not held at gunpoint ot work in a sweatshop.

    The bad thing isn't the sweat shops. The scary part is that the sweatshops are better than whatever is the alternative.
  • rikki
    yeah, sweatshops are awesome. just ask anybody.
    seriously, we could do better than sweatshops. no need to be content with sweatshops.
    fincher is overrated. and he evidently likes money.
  • danno
    What's not to like?
  • prophecy_projectz
    I dont why everyone is having a fit over fincher doing this. Many credible directors do commercials. And yeah Nike makes stuff in sweat shops but chances are so are many other products you consume. Meh, I know a lot of political and social activists that still wear Nike. What do you gonna do? There stuff is that good lol... :(.

    And yeah the song is actually Blueprint 2 which samples Morricone. So if your gonna have a ish fit, do it to Jay-Z and Guru (Roc-a-fella one) for doing the track.
  • rikki
    commercials=suck
    sweatshops=inhumane
    apathy=lack of vision
    the argument stating that all that crap is ok cuz "that's just the way it is" is so very weak.
  • danno
    "I'll be an Oakley, Nike and Giro athlete for as long as I live. They paid my contracts in full, every single one - even though each of them had the right to terminate the deal - and none of them ever so much as asked me about when I would ride a bike again. ...So don't talk to me about the cold world of business."

    Lance Armstrong
  • OJ
    This is an excellent advertisement, I'm still unsure of whether I prefer this over Mann's "Leave Nothing" spot, but both are top notch.

    If you don't like Nike fine, but they've have been pumping out amazing ad campaigns for years now. The fact of the matter is, it's the concept and execution that matter in advertising, not whether or not you support the brand. This could be a spot for any sportswear brand or even the NFL itself, and it would still work.

    Fincher's personal style lends itself well to advertising because it is so visual. Calling him out for collecting a pay cheque between films is moronic. He worked for Nike before he had even made a feature, as other posters have mentioned. Nike does not pay millions of dollars for advertising for nothing, they get their money's worth!
  • this sooo well edited... really good commercial
    Although I accept that it's not as epic as Micheal Mann's

    and btw.. that Guy Ritchie one... the best!!! Like I watched it 3-4 times in a row
  • Johnny Boy
    great ad, but it ends abruptly... needs an additional few seconds.
  • nope
    god this was so cool!
  • rikki
    enjoy yr slop.
  • casual fan
    Thx for posting HQ vid.

    Whining about Nike association is absured. All advertising is paid for by people who want to sell us stuff we don't need made by slaves. Almost all creatives work in advertising in some form

    Better than the Mann ad.

    Also, these aren't two random players, LT is the best running back in the NFL and Polomalu is the best safety, and their two teams will play this season. Totally intentional, and actual football fans (not us here) understand that.

    Amazing commercial.
  • big boy
    does any one know what the song is called?
  • houdinibandini
    the remix is from a french band named "bandini" or now "houdini"
    here is the record where the remix is from:
    chech the n°2 track:
    http://www.discogs.com/release/228656
  • Mr. 62
    GO STEELERS!!!
  • docco
    my paper mache phone is ringing off the hook.
    (shaddup my stories is on! someone smother that baby with a pellow wouldcha?)
  • hay
    wow
    great visuals, great editing, superb music selection

    the way it ends abruptly makes u want to watch it all over again
  • joom
    any link to a high-quality version?
  • guiloose
    the song is a remix by houdini
    www.myspace.com/houdinimusic
    a great band!!!
  • matt
    Would someone please enlighten me on what handheld footage is in this spot? A lot of you have mentioned it, but I can assure you there's no handheld work to support the claim. Some steadicam maybe, but that's it.
  • Carrie
    sweet.
  • Joe Newman
    IMO

    Guy Ritchie's > David Fincher's > Michael Mann's

    I like Fincher's film more though but then again I've only seen two of Ritchie's
  • Logan
    Someone called this commercial boring?? Well, I guess that depends mostly on your perspective on football. If you absolutely LOVE the sport, then this video will often give out goosebumps and chills. The commericial is about the spirit of football. It lives on in all of us, whether we know it or not, from childhood on. The commercial just focuses on these two players and scenes from their life that epitomize how they play the game of football.

    In terms of NFL and football related commercials, the Fate commercial (this one), and the previous Merriman and Stephen Jackson commercial are easily tops amongst them all, of all time.
  • Koolaid
    WTF! If you call this commercial boring i suggest you just stay away from football period. this commercial should give every true fan goosebumps and anticapation!! If not, your just not into football and you don't understand what this commercial delivers!
  • Colin
    This is an absolutely brilliant work of art. It rivals the Derek Redmond Olympic Visa commercial for the most inspiring, beautiful ad of all time. If you don't love these- you have no soul. Link to the Visa Ad: http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/2432-Visa-Olym...
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