The Killer – Review
118 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (based on the graphic novel by Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon)
Directed by David Fincher
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen or watch as he and Ryan discuss the movie in more depth. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
Synopsis:
After a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.
Based on Nolent and Jacamon’s graphic novels, The Killer is an interesting film.
Opening with a nearly 20 minute lecture on the nature of the hitman’s violence, almost nothing happens, but so much character is defined and developed that it’s okay.
The waiting of the audience mirrors the waiting of The (unnamed) Killer as he figures out whether or not the job he has been hired to do can be done or not.
When the opportunity finally arrives, just as he is ready to call it off, the unthinkable happens, and he is forced to evacuate Paris for parts unknown (he thinks) to wait out the repercussions of failure.
When he arrives at his isolated hideaway, we get a reverse John Wick moment, and the story takes an expected turn: sometimes in ways movies like this take, but more often than not in unconventional ones.
Revenge. The Killer is a revenge movie. Not a mile-a-minute shoot ’em up with car chases and explosions, The Killer is nonetheless an effective thriller, its brief episodes of violence interrupted by stretches of “philosophizing” and Fassbender monotoning his way through the narrative.
But it’s totally effective. Fincher does a wonderful job here, putting shots on the screen that feel like they were ripped from a graphic novel to emphasize Fassbender’s dialogue.
There is only 1 fight scene, but a fair bit of violence. The most nerve-wracking segment is a quiet moment in a restaurant featuring Fassbender and (the always awesome) Tilda Swinton.
The movie is scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and they do a great job. Throughout the film, the often industrial tunes, often approaching straight NOISE, really enhance scenes and the tension therein.
My biggest complaint about the film’s music is it’s over-reliance on The Smith’s and other slow, moody pop (and I use that term loosely).
Not even The Killer could be this depressed all the time, right?
A very enjoyable, if unconventional (?) action movie; I recommend it.
The Killer is currently screening in select theaters and will hit Netflix on November 10. The film stars Michael Fassbender, Sophie Charlotte, Charles Parnell, Kerry O’Malley, Arliss Howard, Gabriel Polanco, and Tilda Swinton.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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