The Killer - Film Review

2023 has been an interesting year for films. I wouldn't say it's been a bad year, but I also struggle to point to anything that's particularly blown me away with maybe the exception of The Sound of Freedom. When I heard about this film, I was immediately excited as I wondered if this would be 2023's under-appreciated dark horse like 2016's The Nice Guys or 2018's Bad Times at the El Royale. Sadly, I don't think this film will join those champions of cinema, but this one still gave me plenty to think about.

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Where You Can Find It: This film is exclusively available on Netflix.

General Information 
The Killer is a crime thriller film, which was first released on 27 October 2023 to select theaters before a 10 November 2023 VoD release. It was directed by David Fincher and its screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Erik Messerschmidt provided the cinematography for this film, and its scoring was done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It was produced by Archaia Entertainment, Boom! Studios, and Paramount Pictures with Netflix distributing. The film is based off of the French comic book series of the same name ("Le Tueur" in the original French) by Alexis Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. Due to its extremely limited run, it only accrued $416,313 at the global box office against a budget of $175 million, but it's unclear how financially successful the film has been on the Netflix streaming service. Answers are a bit clearer in regards to reviews as it has an overall positive 72 Metascore on Metacritic alongside a 85% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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The film is based off of the French comic series of the same name

The Story
After bungling the assassination of his target, the Killer (played by Michael Fassbender) finds himself on the receiving end of his own contract. The Killer will have to piece together the clues of who wants him dead and put a stop to it before he becomes someone else's big payday. During this investigation, the Killer will also have to come to terms with his own motivations and goals.

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Unfortunately for the Killer, bosses do a bit more than give a verbal reprimand when you screw up a job

 

When I initially heard that David Fincher was coming out with a new film, I was exceptionally eager to engross myself in another one of his works as they're pretty well-known for their depth. This film certainly has some layers, but the overall takeaway is that it's generally ho-hum in comparison to other projects like Se7en, The Game, or Fight Club. The Killer is essentially a revenge story that moves purposefully from point to point, but I never found the plot all that compelling because it never made me care. Fincher and Walker intentionally keep things detached with nearly all of its characters exhibiting minimal personality, but whereas this worked in something like Drive it doesn't do so here. 

 

In Drive, each character represents something unique and we spend enough time with each one to grasp the stakes and empathize with even its antagonists. The Killer does some great work having the majority of its characters collectively portray a cold and calculating industry and contrast it with the protagonist's ideals, but it fails to properly follow-up on this comparison. By the end of The Killer, we have passively witnessed what makes the Killer different from his colleagues, but there's no growth or payoff. To compare to one of Fincher's works, imagine watching Se7en, but instead of getting its legendary ending, John Doe is merely incarcerated and Mills and Somerset amicably part ways. There's plenty to observe of Se7en's world as we watch the film, but its true message is realized when the detectives confront what is "in the box."

Special Effects/Atmosphere

Although I may have my complaints about this film's story, Fincher and Messerschmidt give The Killer a distinct style and that may keep it in viewers' memories well after Fincher releases his next film. Fincher brings his characteristically darker tones to each frame, which blend well with each scene's lighting. The glow of the Killer's mp3 player early on is a pretty good example of this. Something else I loved is how Messerschmidt keeps viewers on their toes with how he frames each shot. There's a quietness about this film's atmosphere that only intensifies further when the Killer is up to something dangerous. The way Messerschmidt holds Fassbender in focus makes each of these scenes all-the-more tense as it feels as though he could get caught by police or a rival assassin at any moment. I was particularly taken with a scene in which the Killer purloins an item from his target's gym locker as I was on the edge of my seat worrying about him getting spotted by its owner.

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The Killer continues Fincher's legacy of unique visuals and styles

 

Adding to this film's distinction is Michael Kaplan's excellent costume design. Like the comic book it originated from, The Killer's characters have a very unique style. Chief among them is Fassbender's signature hat and sunglasses, along with his silenced pistol. Tilda Swinton's outfit and hairstyle really set her apart from every other character too. Of some of the smaller parts, I really appreciated Arliss Howard's outfit too as he rocks this bohemian-chic flair that I felt a wealthy one-percenter would absolutely wear.

The Acting 

I've always respected Michael Fassbender's craft although I don't think he's ever gotten a fair shake in the business. I've still yet to see his performance in 12 Years a Slave, but his roles in Prometheus, X-Men: First Class, and Alien: Covenant each show enormous potential even though those movies weren't all that great. His quiet intensity in The Killer reminds me most of Prometheus' David, but he definitely gets more to work with here. I'm hoping that he continues to experiment and perfect his craft, and I'll be keeping an eye out for him in future projects.

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Although Fassbender is the central focus of this film, Swinton absolutely dominates as the Expert

Of the other performers, Tilda Swinton absolutely steals the film. I wish we'd seen more of her character, but there's some excellent line delivery as she waxes on about the life of a designated hitter. Similarly, I loved Charles Parnell's performance as Hodges. He's a fantastic character actor that's only recently started to appear in films, but he always seems to make a project just a little bit better with his presence. I loved his no-nonsense style and hope to see him in more stuff soon.

The Best of the Best: Tilda Swinton made me wish the movie was about her character instead.

The Worst of the Worst: As a man that loves Miami, the entire South Florida portion of the film felt pointless.

Calhooey Score: 6/10 - Above Average

Would I Recommend?

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Things got a bit messy, but the job's done

The Killer shows a great deal of promise as a crime thriller, but it never fully capitalizes on its themes, which unfortunately leaves it near the bottom of Fincher's filmography. There's depth to be found here, and the film is still good, but the by-the-numbers plot holds it back from reaching the heights of its predecessors. David Fincher fans will probably get some enjoyment out of this, but I doubt they'll watch it more than once. If you want something similar, I'd recommend Drive or Heat. I might even hazard suggesting The Matador or John Wick if you're looking for something a bit more tongue-in-cheek that involves hired killers.

Spoiler Comments

• Something I really respect out of this film's writing is that viewers are quickly acquainted with the Killer's mantra, and then we soon learn that he fails to follow much of it.
  
• I laughed out loud when I saw that one of the Killer's aliases was "Archibald Bunker."
• One of the first major problems I noticed was that we never got a good understanding of the Killer's relationship with his girlfriend/wife. I think if we'd gotten more to show why the Killer can't detach himself like the rest of his peers, it would've helped highlight his major motivations.
  
• The fight with the Brute had some pretty cool elements, but Fincher probably could've cut that whole bit and just had Tilda Swinton's character be the main antagonist. As far as I can tell, we learned nothing new about the Killer, nor the plot in that portion of the story.
  
• The vibe I got from Swinton's character was that she was probing for an angle the whole conversation. I think she was getting ready to make a move just when the Killer had enough of her jibber-jabber.
• The way the camera captured her placement of the fork made me think she was planning for a way out. I really liked that little addition.
• Some folks wondered why the Killer spared Claybourne, but I think I fully got it. Unlike everyone else that died, Claybourne wasn't truly part of the game. He wasn't a professional, and he didn't understand what was going on. The dominatrix was an accident, but everyone else that died knew exactly what they were doing (I'd include the taxi driver too).
• This is arguably why Hodges acted so indignant about the Killer's invasion of his office. In his mind, professionals like the Killer had no reason to kill him as the contract had never been personal.
  

References

(1) The Killer. (2023). The Killer cover image. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136617/mediaviewer/rm2111594241/?ref_=tt_ov_i.

(2) The Complete The Killer. (n.d.). The Killer comic cover image. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved from: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Complete-The-Killer/Matz/9781684158966.

(3) The Killer. (2023). The Killer walking image. Directors Library. Retrieved from: https://directorslibrary.com/08/2023/latest/film-tv/movies/the-killer/.

(4) TheKiller. (2023, September 5). The Killer reloading gif. Tenor. Retrieved from: https://tenor.com/view/reloading-bullet-the-killer-michael-fassbender-ready-to-shoot-cocking-gun-gif-9686242527348258061.

(5) Crow, D. (2023, November 10). Tilda Swinton in The Killer image. Den of Geek. Retrieved from: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-killer-tilda-swinton-walks-away-best-scene-of-movie/?utm_source=Newswav&utm_medium=Website.

(6) Wise, D. (2023, September 3). The Killer outside image. Deadline. Retrieved from: https://deadline.com/2023/09/the-killer-review-david-fincher-michael-fassbender-hitman-drama-1235535405/.