Based on a French graphic novel of the same name, we’re introduced to The Killer, a nameless assassin (Michael Fassbender), whilst in the middle of a mission to take out a high-value target in Paris. After the job uncharacteristically goes wrong, he retreats to his home in the Dominican Republic but finds the home ransacked and his romantic partner hospitalized. Realizing this was a consequence of the failed hit, the killer travels the globe to exact revenge on the ones responsible.
The Killer is divided into five distinct chapters, wherein the killer is in a new location with a new false identity, a new target, and a different set of obstacles to pass to reach them. It felt very reminiscent of the Hitman games’ recent “World of Assassination” trilogy. Throughout these chapters, we learn about the assassin’s very meticulous routine and thought processes via Fassbender’s internal narration.
Everything in The Killer, from maintaining a slow heart rate to his deliberately nondescript choice of clothes, Smiths-centric playlist and morning workout. The assassin might as well be a self-portrait for the similarly detail-obsessed David Fincher. Fassbender delivers a great performance. He is equal parts ruthless and surprisingly funny, as in a moment where he describes his aforementioned clothing choices as “dressing like a German tourist.”
“What holds me back from really loving The Killer is while I find the protagonist interesting, the world around him, I find mostly less so.”
The Killer features all of Fincher’s hallmarks: The muted colour palette and lighting (courtesy of frequent collaborator Erik Messerschmidt), the incredibly tense atmosphere and even another fantastic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. What holds me back from really loving The Killer is while I find the protagonist interesting, the world around him, I find mostly less so.
Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker intentionally made the world and the characters in The Killer sparse, which fits the assassin’s cold, unempathetic worldview. Still, I think a contrasting personality to bounce off would have given the movie a bit more life. The closest we come to that would be Tilda Swinton’s character, whose one major scene with Fassbender is one of the best moments in the film. That being said, veteran character actors like Arliss Howard and Charles Parnell do the most with the little bit they’re given.
I would also highly recommend people avoid the trailers for the movie, as they sell the film as something more action-packed than it actually is. This is not Fincher’s attempt at John Wick or anything close to that, even though there is a fantastic fight sequence in the movie’s middle section.
While I don’t think this reaches the level of his other thrillers like Fight Club, Se7en or Zodiac, The Killer is still a solid thriller that does deliver what you would expect from David Fincher.
