‘The Killer’ Might Be a Little Too Stone-Cold
The Killer is the latest film from director David Fincher. This story sees Michael Fassbender as the titular assassin, a calculated, methodical killer who pays attention to every last detail as he executes his targets.
On one job, things go wrong, leading him to take on the chain of command from the lawyer giving the orders (Charles Parnell) and his assistant (Kerry O’Malley) to an expert (Tilda Swinton) to the client himself (Arliss Howard) in an attempt to get revenge for a brutal attack.
If that sounds very reminiscent of John Wick, that’s because it is. Much of this movie feels like a desaturated take on that franchise. With globe-hopping assassins, revenge plots, and a very well-choreographed fight scene, it’s practically the same story.
Sadly, The Killer seems to drain out the aspects that make John Wick so enjoyable. We trade the colorful lighting and fast-paced fight scenes for quiet contemplation and the typical Fincher color grading. We trade a main character we can root for with a more aloof lead who keeps the audience at a distance. Most of all, we trade a revenge plot we can really feel—that puppy was adorable!—with one that feels more like it’s there so the movie can happen.
In the opening sequence, he accidentally kills a woman who unknowingly moves between the target and the bullet. He’s a stone-cold killer, so he shows no remorse for this and treats it as a hazard of the job. But just a few scenes later, we’re asked to empathize with him when he discovers that his girlfriend was in the wrong place at the wrong time when another group of killers came to his house to eliminate him for the mistake. The whole plot revolves around him getting revenge for this attack, but why does this woman’s attack deserve avenging and the other’s does not?
Fassbender is impressive as always, but there is so little for audiences to grab onto with this character that it can be difficult to get invested in his revenge plot. We spend the majority of the runtime waiting in cars with him, silently surveilling his targets as he patiently waits for an opportunity. His narration provides us with more perspective on who he is, but we never really get to know him enough to fully empathize with him or feel strongly about his goals one way or another.
I was reminded of Ahsoka Tano from the Ahsoka series on Disney+. Viewers found her dynamic and interesting in previous material, but now she’s hardened and more aloof, so she spends the majority of the series crossing her arms and delivering her lines in the same monotone. It’s hard for new audiences to connect with her, which can make the series feel boring.
Similarly, in The Killer, the fact that we never really get to know this man makes it hard to truly care about his plot. Sure, it’s interesting to see if he’ll succeed or what mishaps might befall him in his quest, but the character lacks the emotional hook to keep us fully dialed into the story.
Of course, Fincher is a great filmmaker, so the movie feels well-made and has his trademark style. It’s dark, almost neo-noir at times. A fight scene between Fassbender and Sala Baker feels particularly dynamic and raw, waking the audience up with well-executed action.
I just wish the rest of the film had the pacing or interest of Fincher’s previous projects. This is a man who made the creation of Facebook feel completely engrossing in The Social Network, so it’s a bit of a letdown to see the story of an assassin’s revenge quest feel so flat at times.
Check out the quick review for The Killer on TikTok and Instagram.
