‘The Killer’ Review: David Fincher Deconstructs the Thriller Genre with Stylish Witty Flick
In his second Netflix Feature, David Fincher takes on adapting an obscure french graphic novel series while turning thriller tropes upside down in the process
David Fincher is one of the most acclaimed and visionary directors of the last three decades. Known for his meticulous perfectionist attitude, unique use of desaturated colors and exploring characters that have a feeling of alienation, he has delved into numerous genres throughout his career but has become most associated with the thriller genre. After tackling the biographic drama category with his passion project Mank, Fincher goes back to his thriller roots with The Killer and as he has done in the past, he takes what is a relatively simple premise and injects his own personal touch delivering an entertaining, intense and even hilarious picture held together by the charisma of Michael Fassbender.
Fassbender takes on the title role, a nameless assassin whose inner monologue describes the precision and even tedious boredom of his job. We are introduced to him in a Paris apartment as he prepares for his latest hit. When his hit fails accidentally killing a female bystander, the killer immediately flees and returns to his home in the Dominican Republic. Upon arrival, he finds that is has been destroyed and his girlfriend Magdala (Sophie Charlotte) has been assaulted.
Trying to evade the authorities while seeking revenge, the killer goes out of his way to try and find the person responsible. Under different aliases, his journey takes him to different parts of the United States from New Orleans where he attacks his handler Hodges (Charles Parnell) to New York where he speaks with a fellow female assassin (Tilda Swinton).
From the description above, the premise sounds like your typical run of the mill hitman getting revenge on those who wronged him thriller and being based on an obscure French graphic novel series by Alexis Nolent would only further back it up. However, Fincher has always been a filmmaker who refuses to play the Hollywood game. That is, he takes the basic simple premise that is given to him and brings his own unique style to subvert the audience’s expectations of a straight up action film. This is immediately true from the beginning as right after a brilliant opening credits sequence that seems straight out of an action video game, Fincher follows it up with the killer alone in his office meditating while his narration states "If you’re not able to endure boredom, this job’s not for you”. While this can be seen as the killer talking about the tediousness of his job, it can also be interpreted as Fincher and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven, Fight Club) telling the audience that they’re not going to be getting the fast paced action one expects from a film like this and instead are going to be treated to a cold slow paced character study.
Despite or perhaps because of the coldness Fincher injects in the film, it also has a dry and even biting sense of humor. The director has certainly included witty humorous dialogue in some of his previous films, particularly Fight Club and The Social Network but with this, he comes the closest he probably will get to making a comedy. The dry way the killer narrates everything around him allows for some really funny lines throughout the picture. This is furthered by the numerous aliases the killer uses when he hops from one place to another where he takes on the names of characters from sitcoms of the 70s and early 80s such as “Archie Bunker”, “Sam Malone” etc. The music is also able to balance both the grim coldness with the dry humor as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross compose another brilliantly haunting score while the frequent use of The Smiths on the soundtrack only add to the humor.
As the title character, Michael Fassbender commands the screen in a subtle, dark and funny performance. Known for playing dark complicated characters with little information provided to the audience, Fassbender fits right at home in Fincher’s world making the killer this mysterious figure that has accepted his mundane fate as this murderer for hire. He only occasionally speaks when he is on screen as most of his dialogue is done via voiceover monologue as he tells the audience in a sardonic way everything he must do. It’s the kind of tough performance that could get tiresome to some as we aren’t given much character development but Fassbender uses it to his advantage that makes the killer if not an interesting character someone we want to follow through to the end. Tilda Swinton does well in her one scene role but this is Fassbender’s show and the film rightly keeps the focus on him.
While it may not rank up there with Seven or Zodiac, The Killer is another solid addition to the David Fincher filmography that makes up for its simple story with an excellent lead performance, dark visuals and a sharp and witty screenplay that subverts expectations. It may not be for everyone but Fincher purists will definitely find something to dig about it