Some may call The Killer, mid-Fincher, and they might not be wrong in that it is does not wear its style on its sleeve or feel like it is shooting for some ambitious place in the cinema canon. But like some of Fincher's other supposedly "mid" movies, it is a solid watch that is well executed and gripping throughout. In fact I'd say I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed some of the more revered entries in his filmography.
Like a lot of great films it is at its heart a simple story that has layered into it deeper themes and darker emotions. The Killer is the story of someone who loves their job (and their life) and is doing what it takes to keep it. One misstep and his world is a different place. How does her refind his footing?
Fassbender plays his character as a psychopath, but not in a traditional cinematic way where he acts chaotically unpredictably and gleefully cruel. His character is cold and lacks empathy. He's methodical and pursues his tasks purposefully. In someways I found his character more chilling than a usual movie villain.
I also found it interesting how the film handled having an evil protagonist. As an audience we have a need to identify with the centre of our story, sympathize with him. The film has a few moments where it could give us an easy out by making him a "good guy" in a bad role, but Fincher doesn't do that. If anything the film just doesn't give us any good characters to compare him to. Still we are brought in to this story through him and he is our centre. We are witness to his inner monologue and often it is enjoyably sassy. I can't really discuss what the film does with this without spoiling the film's point but I will say I enjoyed its rather bold and somewhat cynical thesis.
The Killer is a good watch with a strong enough central character and story to make rewatching it worthwhile. I suspect this will go down as one of Fincher's more watched films.
The Killer
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
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