Directed By David Fincher

Starring – Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell

The Plot – A man solitary and cold, methodical and unencumbered by scruples or regrets, the killer (Fassbender) waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. And yet the longer he waits, the more he thinks he’s losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind.

Rated R for strong violence, adult language and brief sexuality

THE KILLER | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube

POSITIVES

After the mixed results of “Mank” limited the appeal of its story to a particular niche of the audience, Fincher returns to his primary status as a dominant crowd-pleaser, bringing along the tense and unforgiving atmosphere of some of his greatest successes. In the depths of a decorated assassin, this element practically conjures itself effortlessly, but in the artistic capacities of Fincher as a thrilling storyteller, is commanded with meaningful overhead narration from Fassbender in the minutes before his character is about to strike, but also an abundance of technical bravado in everything from the intricacies of sound design in the heat of the moment, to compelling imagery within the drawn out chase of the scope. For the former, I’m usually a stickler for narration because more times than not it adds nothing to the interaction and developments of the picture it accommodates, but here we learn a lot about this nameless character by the responsibility and precision that he takes in his craft, but never in ways that bluntly come out and tell us such, instead channeling nervousness and meticulousness in the repetition of his phrases, which almost feel like motivational speeches in conquering the stakes and circumstances of the job before him. As for technical components, the film is aided tremendously by another spellbinding score from longtime Fincher collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, but also what feels like a Smiths’ greatest hits collection, with as many as five tracks dominating the spectrum. This love for one particular artist feels appropriate for a man centering around one titular protagonist, whose interests at that particular place in time might lend themselves to exploring the melancholic mundane of England’s favorite sons, and when conjured with such stuffy and claustrophobic surroundings, grants an immersive appeal to the sequences that maintains our attention, while waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Fassbender is also spectacular in an emotionally transforming kind of way. When his dialogue isn’t chilling us with unorthodox observations about society, which feel assertive without feeling psychotic, Fassbender commands the screen with a menacing presence that never amplifies emotions, but instead permeates this unshakeable confidence that fuels his character’s thirst for vengeance, and in the way he silently studies his many oppositions, almost comes across as this soulless entity of fate that has finally caught up to many ignorant adversaries cursed to cross him. As for the script, there are a couple of things about its inferior second half that hindered my enjoyment, but the first half of the film includes the very best opening act of a movie that I have experienced in 2023, with a couple of surprises that rewarded the faithful curiosity that made the minutes burn away with ease. Beyond that, the decision to base little to no time away from this character’s profession is a daring one that comes with risks for people who value a thorough character study, but the way his intelligence for craft comes across in the many steps he continuously stays ahead of his dangerous adversaries conveys that everything that we seek to know about this man should be sought within his time in isolation, and it’s in that element where Fincher’s direction can be felt the loudest, while emphasizing the crippling silence and overall loneliness of a man whose majority of time can be spent in isolation.

NEGATIVES

As to where the artistic excellence of the first half had me clamoring for me, the execution of “The Killer’s” inferior second half left me a bit unfulfilled on a couple of key aspects, with a climax and resolution that came at a moment when the film was unfortunately beginning to trail off. The first of these disappointments comes with the structure of the script, which when seen with all of the pieces together feels a bit too simplistic and by the book to ever surmize such thematic nuance to ideas and expressions that could be ingrained beneath the surface. The entirety of the script is essentially a revenge plot, which is one that we’ve seen endlessly even over the last decade, and when this film seemed to be setting itself apart from those predecessors is when it dove deeper into the thoughts and preparations of its titular character’s mystique, which after that initial opening act falls a bit by the wayside of conventionalism and even a bit predictable with passage. This leads to an unfulfilling and underwhelming ending that, despite completely seeing what Fincher was going for, doesn’t feel responsible to the experience of his audience, leaving the pay-off a bit stagnant from stakes that were once titanic. Beyond this, my only other problem with the film is in the tragic misuse of Swinton, who doesn’t appear until the film’s final twenty-five minutes, and even then is given nothing enhancing in material or direction to properly justify the presence of one of the world’s most chameleonesque actors. Because of such, I feel like you could have literally anyone perform this character, but involving Tilda completely demeans her talents, leading to what is easily one of her more forgettable roles in a career that spans 37 years and 99 roles.

OVERALL
“The Killer” is a stylishly engaging and ruthlessly riveting return to form for David Fincher, who seamlessly immerses us in the shadows of the world’s most dangerous objective. Though the film doesn’t quite reach the heights of Fincher’s best, the cunning obsession of one of the world’s most visceral filmmakers comes across effectively in a protagonist that reflects him in many ways, cementing a full-fledged passion project that aims for all of the vital organs of its audience.

My Grade: 8/10 or B