“From the beginning of history, the few have always exploited the many. This is the cornerstone of civilization. The blood and the mortar that binds all bricks. Whatever it takes, make sure you’re one of the few; not one of the many.” – The Killer
Hitmen in action, drama, and thriller films are nearly universally cold, calculating, and precise. Elite. But The Killer embraces a subversive take on the trope. Despite concerted effort to be otherwise, the contract killer in the spotlight of this story is (at least at this point in his tale) human, messy, pretentiously pseudo-intellectual, and error-prone. This elevates what would otherwise be a straightforward revenge thriller dripping with David Fincher’s dark signature style into a more engrossing character piece. Subversion is a consistent theme throughout the film, especially so in the film’s minutia moreso than its broader structure, making the ride along that mostly standard revenge movie layout (a mix of equally lengthy action scenes and dialogues from the key players tied together with suspense of when and how the proverbial trigger will be pulled) more engaging than it otherwise would be, in providing a lot of unexpected timings, much of its humor, and an ending certainly interesting.
From The Killer‘s first frame, you immediately know you’re watching a David Fincher flick, with its hyper-stylized collage of details and titles set to a pulsing, dark, electronic score crafted by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Which moves straight into the director’s trademark sleek, rich moodiness. Even throws a voice-over reminiscent of Fight Club in for good measure. The work of long-time collaborators cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, who paired with Fincher on Gone Girl, Mindhunter, and Mank, and editor Kirk Baxter, who paired with Fincher on five films including The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, amplifies this familiarity. As is expected with a Fincher project, production across the board is immaculate, the only negative standout some periodic shaky cam meant to convey the stress level of our protagonist taken to comically excessive levels. With a cast made up of the likes of Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton it goes without saying the acting performances leave little to be desired. There are no particular weak points among the cast. The screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, 8mm, Sleepy Hollow), adapted from the titular French graphic novel series, is tight and workmanlike, but interspersed with peculiarities, like a particularly memorable anecdote involving a bear and sodomy. (You read that right.) Altogether the writing is serviceable but feels perhaps a bit carried by Fincher’s bold style and the consistent effectiveness of the overall production.
Just like a hitman, consistency is the name of the game with The Killer. Much is consistently good, and nothing is consistently bad. One could argue the project as a whole, despite being a somewhat unique take on it in many aspects, is ultimately just a glorified revenge film and disappointingly unambitious for a Fincher project. And I’d have little disagreement with that assessment. Don’t go into this film expecting direct, grand, meta (no pun intended shortly) posturings like you get with The Social Network or Fight Club. The Killer is decidedly a focused character piece, but of a character grounded in the same broad world of power players and top-down exploitation we all inhabit, so there is intellectual meat to chew on; you just have to mostly chew it on your own. Even if you’re only looking for a tense, moderately-paced, action thriller with far-above-par production, The Killer is worth a hit.
