Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

Fate, according to Nike

Can you believe that David Fincher, director of dark, violent fare such as Seven, Zodiac, and Fight Club is behind this rousing, rhythmic, well-lit commercial? Following two football players — the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu and the San Diego Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson — from the womb to their bone-crushing encounter at midfield, this Nike spot was photographed by Emmanuel Lubezki (the virtuoso cinematographer behind Children of Men) and features a remixed Ennio Morricone piece from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Cinematic cachet aside, the spot tells an entertaining, joyous story in just about 60 seconds. And no dead bodies, either!