The Killer
Year: 2023
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Fassbender
Runtime: 118 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 07/11/23
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Michael Fassbender
Runtime: 118 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 07/11/23
‘Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don't improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight.’ – The Killer
It feels like I’ve been waiting forever for a new David Fincher film. In reality it’s only been four years since 2019’s Mank, but because the film had no theatrical release I honestly feel like I’ve been waiting since 2014 with Gone Girl.
Whilst Fincher has been keeping himself busy with Netflix shows such as House of Cards and the criminally underrated Mindhunter, I’ve been craving a big screen return and I hoped that The Killer would be just that. The caveat with The Killer of course is that it isn’t really a big screen return, it’s another made for streaming affair, but I did pay the premium to seek out one of the few cinemas showcasing The Killer to get that fix, and whilst I definitely enjoyed The Killer, it doesn’t quite measure up to Fincher’s best.
When a hit goes wrong, the Killer (Michael Fassbender) finds himself the target and must utilise his specific skillset to hunt down those who accepted the contract, and the one that placed it.
It’s a gloriously simple concept, and one that fits well within Fincher’s typical remit of understated thrillers such as Seven, Zodiac, and Gone Girl. However, like Mank, I found myself thinking ‘is this really a David Fincher film?’ throughout The Killer. Why? There’s a few different reasons.
Whilst Fincher has been keeping himself busy with Netflix shows such as House of Cards and the criminally underrated Mindhunter, I’ve been craving a big screen return and I hoped that The Killer would be just that. The caveat with The Killer of course is that it isn’t really a big screen return, it’s another made for streaming affair, but I did pay the premium to seek out one of the few cinemas showcasing The Killer to get that fix, and whilst I definitely enjoyed The Killer, it doesn’t quite measure up to Fincher’s best.
When a hit goes wrong, the Killer (Michael Fassbender) finds himself the target and must utilise his specific skillset to hunt down those who accepted the contract, and the one that placed it.
It’s a gloriously simple concept, and one that fits well within Fincher’s typical remit of understated thrillers such as Seven, Zodiac, and Gone Girl. However, like Mank, I found myself thinking ‘is this really a David Fincher film?’ throughout The Killer. Why? There’s a few different reasons.
I think what was most obvious was the presentation. Fincher’s style, and what I most admire about his films, is the precision. The clean tracking shots, the millimetre perfect framing, the kind of flawless sheen the image has. By comparison The Killer is shaky, very shaky actually, and the image frame always feels slightly off, almost detached from the moment. I did wonder if this was intentional, perhaps allowing the image to embody the mind of Fassbender’s Killer. But then the audio design was Fincher’s usual, brilliant fare (and once again Atticus Ross provides an excellent, methodical and somewhat unorthodox score). It did this cool thing where, because music is important to Fassbender’s Killer, the audio would shift perspective from his internal hearing when viewing from his perspective, or hearing the tinny and obscured audio from outside the headphones when viewing this objectively. Yet the camera work always stayed the same, and it just didn’t feel like Fincher’s usual fare which I must say is probably the biggest reason I adore his work.
I also feel that the film never really gained momentum. The story has few surprises, it has no discernible peaks or valleys of excitement, and it remains calm, discrete almost for the entire runtime. There is action, and whilst there was one sequence in particular that I felt was excellent during ‘The Brute’ segment of the film, come credits roll I found myself longing for some kind of catharsis. Compare this to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which has a similarly restrained approach but does provide a cathartic release at the end when the mystery is solved. The Killer lacks that final release, or any release really, because of its structure.
I also feel that the film never really gained momentum. The story has few surprises, it has no discernible peaks or valleys of excitement, and it remains calm, discrete almost for the entire runtime. There is action, and whilst there was one sequence in particular that I felt was excellent during ‘The Brute’ segment of the film, come credits roll I found myself longing for some kind of catharsis. Compare this to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which has a similarly restrained approach but does provide a cathartic release at the end when the mystery is solved. The Killer lacks that final release, or any release really, because of its structure.
But those issues aside, The Killer is overall an enjoyable film. Despite the story lacking that cathartic element, it’s a good revenge tale with an intriguing cast of characters and some excellently written dialogue.
Fassbender monologues throughout the majority of the film and his calm, methodical thought process gave the film a kind of rhythm and heartbeat.
Tilda Swinton knocks it out of the park in a brief appearance, arguably stealing the show. But I was also a big fan of Charles Parnell here who plays a Lawyer and Killer’s handler.
Whilst I think I’ve been mostly negative in this review, it’s important for me to say that I did enjoy The Killer, it’s just not what I expected it to be, and I’m not a fan of some of the creative decisions made here.
It’s also important to point out that this is a film made for streaming, it’s not a major Hollywood production, and so it probably shouldn’t be held to the same standard.
With the recent theatrical release of the likes of Killers of the Flower Moon and the upcoming release of Napoleon, we’re entering an age where films made for streaming are premiering theatrically and films made to be watched at home on the small screen may not translate quite the same way to a big screen environment.
I don’t think that The Killer is one of Fincher’s best films, and it’s a shame for me to say that because I was looking forward to it so much. It’s worth checking out if you like slow burn thrillers, and considering it’s available on Netflix in the next few days you won’t have to wait long to see it if you are interested.
It’s worth a go for the curious, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to watch it, even if it is David Fincher.
Fassbender monologues throughout the majority of the film and his calm, methodical thought process gave the film a kind of rhythm and heartbeat.
Tilda Swinton knocks it out of the park in a brief appearance, arguably stealing the show. But I was also a big fan of Charles Parnell here who plays a Lawyer and Killer’s handler.
Whilst I think I’ve been mostly negative in this review, it’s important for me to say that I did enjoy The Killer, it’s just not what I expected it to be, and I’m not a fan of some of the creative decisions made here.
It’s also important to point out that this is a film made for streaming, it’s not a major Hollywood production, and so it probably shouldn’t be held to the same standard.
With the recent theatrical release of the likes of Killers of the Flower Moon and the upcoming release of Napoleon, we’re entering an age where films made for streaming are premiering theatrically and films made to be watched at home on the small screen may not translate quite the same way to a big screen environment.
I don’t think that The Killer is one of Fincher’s best films, and it’s a shame for me to say that because I was looking forward to it so much. It’s worth checking out if you like slow burn thrillers, and considering it’s available on Netflix in the next few days you won’t have to wait long to see it if you are interested.
It’s worth a go for the curious, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to watch it, even if it is David Fincher.