I distinctly remember the first time I came across the name ‘David Fincher’. It was early in 1992 and the first one-sheet for Alien 3 had turned up outside one of the local theatres in the small sea-side town I grew up in. Counting its predecessor, 1986’s Aliens, as my favorite movie ever (and to this day, still do), I was hungry for any and all details I could find leading up to the highly anticipated sequel’s release, including who would be helming the 20th Century Fox tent-pole. As I eagerly leaned in to take in the name in the Directed By credit field, against my will, the words “Who the fuck is David Fincher?!” spilled forth.
Even at that age, I was well-versed in the Who’s Who of successful film directors and I’d never heard of this Fincher guy. But…my misguided faith in Fox held firm and on the opening weekend, my buddy and I were there for (hopefully) more awesome xenomorph insanity.
What we ended up with…was not what we’re were expecting.
Now, regardless of the problems I had / have with some key narrative elements (‘Hicks’ and ‘Newt’ DOA during the credits?! Fuck you, movie!), I will readily admit to being instantly taken in by Fincher’s gritty and brooding style and gothic aesthetic (even more so in the superior Assembly cut version), and it stuck with me, along with Elliot Goldenthal’s eerie score. It’s no secret that, to this day, Fincher still looks upon the thankless experience helming his first feature (after a history of commercials and music videos) with vitriolic disdain, given how badly Fox fucked him around during Alien 3‘s chaotic production. Given the critical shellacking the film took on release, it looked doubtful that this Fincher kid would amount to anything in Hollywood, handedly taken out by the xenomorph.
Three years later, he proved the naysayers dead wrong with his intense follow-up, 1995’s instant classic of a serial killer flick, Se7en (another personal favorite). I still remember the eerie calm that kept the shocked audience rooted in their seats as the end credits rolled and it was then that I knew that I would need to keep an eye on this intriguing (and obviously insanely talented) new director on the Hollywood scene.
And that’s how it’s been.
With the exception of two, 2010’s The Social Network (I couldn’t care less about the formation of fucking FaceBook, no matter how good it looks) and 2020’s Mank (it’s on my radar, just need the right mood), I’ve eagerly devoured everything Fincher has released and enjoyed damn near everything he’s had to show me, to date.
Which brings us to The Killer.
Reteaming with the writer of Se7en, Andrew Kevin Walker, Fincher dives back into the world of murder and intrigue, cinematic themes that his style is intensely suited for (I’d LOVE to see Fincher take on a 1930’s-set adaptation of The Shadow! Let me know if you would too.).
I first heard about this one via a quick Behind the Scenes video that was unexpectedly released where Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) discussed his work under the direction of Fincher on this project, which is an adaptation of a French graphic novel.
I was intrigued.
Then…a few months later, the first official trailer was released and my interest climbed even higher. Knowing that this was to be a Netflix Original title, I bided my time until finally, just this last Friday, it was released on the streaming platform, after a brief and modest theatrical run and the wife and I plunked our asses down to check it out.
The Killer opens in modern day Paris, where we meet an unnamed assassin, the titular killer (Fassbender) preparing meticulously to carry out a hit. When the time finally comes, something goes wrong and an innocent bystander is accidently taken out, alerting the target to the plans against him while also allowing him to escape. ‘The killer’ flees France ASAP and returns home to his luxurious hide-out in the Dominican Republic. Upon arrival, it’s apparent that something has happened in his absence, judging by the smeared blood and damage he finds awaiting him. The blood belongs to the lady in the killer’s life, ‘Magdala’ (Sofie Charlotte) and she’s been hospitalized after being brutally attacked and left for dead by persons unknown. In a rare display of emotion, he vows to ‘Magdala’s distraught brother that he will not allow something like this to happen again. And thus begins his quest for revenge against his own handler’s and their client, whom he deduces are trying to cover their tracks after his botched hit. From there, he embarks on a globe trotting mission that takes him from the Dominican Republic to New Orleans to Florida to New York in search of cold, calculated vengeance.
Here lie my scribbles…
–Opening credits. One thing that Fincher excels at is the incorporation of clever and cool opening credits that speak to the overall tone of the movie they’re attached to, going all the way back to Alien 3. He damn near perfected this with Se7en (go look at many thrillers post ’95 and tell me they weren’t heavily influenced by THAT jarring credit sequence). This one is slick in how every credit is shown over a quick flash of various methods of ‘disposal’ that the killer has employed leading up to this story. It’s also over mercifully quickly. A James Bond opening credit scene, this is not.
–Narration Memento-like. Agnostic and relatable. Elements of realism. We are guided through the 1 hour and 58 minute narrative by Fassbender’s calm and collected musings about his work and his points of view on the various obstacles he encounters on his quest. As noted, I was reminded of Guy Pearce’s similar monologues from Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000) or even the words of the similarly unnamed protagonist from Fincher’s own Fight Club (1999). I also appreciated that Fassbender’s ‘killer’ was not some stoic, zen-like automaton but instead someone who had to content with realistic aspects like boredom, the elements, and spending too much time in his own head as he prepares to carry out his deadly assignments.
–Fassbender autistic? And by Fassbender, I mean ‘the killer’, obviously. There’s a coldness to ‘the killer’ that had me wondering if he was supposed to be somewhere on the Autism Spectrum, given his meticulousness, his focus and his issues relating to anyone on a basic human level, aside from ‘Magdala’ and her brother ‘Marcus’ (Emiliano Pernia).
–Expected precision in the cinematography. David Fincher is what I would classify as a precise director, so much so that it’s become a cynical joke in Hollywood over the man’s tendency to stage ridiculous numbers of takes (much to the chagrin of his various casts and crews over the years) in order to capture what he deems to be The Perfect Shot for whatever scene he’s filming. This flick is no different and anyone even casually associated with the past works of Fincher will see the care and symmetry that’s been put into each and every shot composition we’re given.
–Awesome use of sound and music. PoV. In the opening scenes, ‘the killer’ details how he finds music a useful distraction that helps draw his focus to the work at hand and the way the tunes cut in and out on the soundtrack in accordance to the point of view we’re shown was inspired, a nice stylistic flourish that literally put us into ‘the killer’s eyes and ears in the lead-up to the task.
–Cool use of modern tech and references. This assassin is entirely modern and makes use of high-tech conveniences such as Smartwatches, online shopping and curb-side pick-up and remote rentals of vehicles and equipment, among others, to accomplish his mission. It helped ground the film in a world that most of us can look around and see with our own eyes.
–Chapter title format slick and unique. This was nothing big…I just liked the font and format used for the chapter breaks / locations / targets. Hadn’t seen it before.
–Amusing alias names. For some reason, ‘the killer’ uses the names of various characters found in old sitcoms from back in the day (some of which I identified right away, which sadly betrayed my age) for his collection of fake ID’s. It was an amusing touch that reminded me of the various pop culture references used as aliases by ‘Sam’ and ‘Dean Winchester’ in the show Supernatural (2005 -2020), a personal favorite of the wife and I.
–Psycho with a heart? This was just another observation of his cold and cunning demeanor being driven by a desire for revenge based on the brutality that befell someone he genuinely cares for, as a result of his own actions.
–Like a contemplative John Wick or Man on Fire. It would be really easy to compare The Killer to numerous other ‘out for revenge’ flicks, like the aforementioned John Wick (2016) or Man on Fire (2004) and while the core stories could be analyzed for undeniable similarities, the approach here stands out in how the story takes it’s time to be told, it breathes instead of brutally racing ahead like those other two do (and do well, I might add).
–Music score underwhelming. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have scored numerous Fincher films over the years and normally the fruits of their labor elevate the subject matter admirably. Here, I must admit that the actual score was somewhat underwhelming. Not to say that it was bad…not at all…it just didn’t carry much in the way of added impact for the story being told. Not terrible…not great.
– Not action-packed, but when it’s violent…it’s violent. Brute fight. Frame rate interesting. Down and dirty. So much of the film focus’ more on the prep for the action as opposed to the action itself but when it does kick off, it can be harsh…especially when the story gets to a character known as ‘The Brute’ (Sala Baker) and the abrupt life-or-death fisticuffs that ensue. It’s fast and brutal affair, augmented by what looks like a subtle manipulation of the frame rate (just a guess) to add a hyper-realistic edge to the action. Fair Warning to Sensitive Viewers – if abrupt and unwanted anal penetration resulting in likely fatal injuries isn’t your jam…just saying.
–Creative kills. As demonstrated in the slick opening credits, this killer is a Jack of All Trades, utilizing many differing methods for prepping, executing and escaping a ‘job’. Here he makes use of the sniper rifle, the pistol (seems to favor Glocks), the nailgun(!), the Molotov cocktail, and his own gloved hands, all the while walking us through his meticulous process leading up to the action. I was never bored.
–Oddly straight-forward narrative and ending. When all was said and done, I came to realize how to-the-point The Killer was, for better or for worse, how essentially lean the narrative ended up being, despite the complicated nature of several of the scenes on their own.
The ending had me cocking an eyebrow a bit, given how…*SPOILERS*…nicely tied up with a bow thing’s seem. It also made me question the seemingly opposing directions the movie wants to take us thematically when it comes to our protagonist and our overall loyalties. First off…’the killer’ is exactly that…a killer. A murderer for hire.
Given the relatable characteristics that Fincher and Fassbender gave the character, it’s easy to side with him, especially when it comes to his actions on behalf of an ‘innocent’ who he loves. But…the character, what he IS, is essentially villainous. A monster for profit. Experiencing the ‘So, that’s it.’ tone I felt when Act 3 was wrapping up seemed…lacking, somehow. I mean, really, this movie is coming from the same guys who blew my mind to mush with Se7en, with its depth and twists, and I think I expected / hoped for something with a wee bit more gravitas, or stakes, for our main character. Perhaps even a plot twist of some kind. I appreciate simplicity and concede that there is NOTHING wrong with a straight-forward, to-the-point story (as a simple human, who writes simple fiction, I can appreciate a simple story) as long as the presentation makes up for it. Luckily, that is an area where The Killer does NOT disappoint. As expected, the flick does look beautiful.
All in all, I think I can safely rank The Killer as Second Tier Fincher, falling behind such absolute masterpieces like Se7en (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002) and Zodiac (2007), to line up with the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Gone Girl (2014), titles that are, subjectively speaking, GOOD, just not GREAT. Definitely worth your time though, IMO.
If you’re a fan of thrillers filled with sinister intrigue and stylish violence, have an appreciation for the works of David Fincher, or just like Michael Fassbender for the dependable thespian that he is…then I can easily recommend a date with The Killer!
“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
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