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Director David Fincher has spent the last three decades making dark and haunting films that aren’t for the faint of heart. And with his graphic novel adaptation The Killer, he takes a simple and not entirely unfamiliar story and creates something that’s tense and gripping and sometimes unexpectedly amusing, too.
The Killer stars Michael Fassbender as a professional assassin who’s trained himself to be cold and disconnected—completely lacking in empathy. He prefers to know as little as possible about each job he’s assigned, so it’s easy to walk away without another thought. But when a job goes wrong and his business suddenly turns personal, he uses his training—and his massive arsenal—to track down everyone who was involved, carefully planning each step as he murders his way across the country.
From the description, The Killer sounds like it could be any Liam Neeson movie from the last decade: an entertaining but forgettable film about a man out for revenge. But Fincher manages to elevate the story into something that’s dark and tense and captivating—the kind of thriller that makes you sit forward in your seat, eager to see what’s coming for this cool, calculating killer.
On the outside, he’s a man of few words. He does solitary work that requires patience and focus. He’s calm and controlled and methodical. He makes a plan, he sticks to it, and then he walks away. And when he does encounter someone else, he tends to let them do the talking.
Inside, though, it’s a different story. The film plays out to a soundtrack of the character’s near-constant inner monologue as he talks through each step, repeating reminders to stick to the plan, to control his heart rate, to feel no empathy. And as this monotone inner monologue mixes with a perfectly haunting score, it only adds to the film’s eerie tension.
Somehow, everything works together in this dark and clever thriller, turning a simple story into something that will keep viewers on edge. And when it comes to an end, you’ll want to go back and watch it again, to put more of the pieces together.
Though the setup may not be new or unique, Fincher takes this story of an assassin out for revenge and turns it into something smart and striking and gripping. This isn’t just another brainless thriller; it’s exactly the kind of dark and edgy film that fans expect from this talented director.
You can follow this killer on his quest when The Killer stalks its way to theaters on October 27, 2023—or catch up when it premieres on Netflix on November 10.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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