David Fincher’s The Killer is the famed filmmaker’s first feature since Mank in 2020, but he apparently started working on this graphic novel adaptation long before that. It was way back in 2007 when he began developing Alexis Nolent and Luc Jacamon’s story of an assassin with a change of heart, and now his efforts have been seen by critics, as the film premiered September 3 at Venice Film Festival. Those critics are now weighing in on Fincher’s latest, and they seem to appreciate what the director has brought to the table.
Michael Fassbender stars as the titular assassin, leading an impressive cast that also includes Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, and Sophie Charlotte. The film will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription in November, so let’s take a look at David Fincher’s psychological action thriller, starting with GamesRadar’s Jane Crowther. She rates it 4 out of 5 stars, saying if you’ve ever wondered what Fincher’s James Bond would look like, this might be it:
The premise of contract murderers making something personal isn’t new, but Fincher is having fun with the genre – loading needle-drops, pop-culture hat-tips (Antiques Roadshow, Storage Wars, aliases that are all TV characters), and Bondian ingenuity into a propulsive pace. Split into seven chapters which play out in different cities around the world, the action may be serious but the gags are plentiful – whether that’s Tilda Swinton (essentially playing herself as an assassin) telling a bear joke, a close-to-the-bone comment about a wheelie bin, or the comedic appearance of a parmesan grater during a terrific house brawl.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rates The Killer a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, calling Michael Fassbender the right pick for the leading role of a yoga-loving assassin in the “horribly addictive” thriller. Bradshaw continues:
It is all entertainingly absurd and yet the pure conviction and deadpan focus that Fassbender and Fincher bring to this ballet of anonymous professionalism makes it very enjoyable. And there are moments when the veneer of realism is disquieting: can it really be true that you can get through an electronic keyfob-protected door just by photographing it on your phone and then ordering a fob-copier from Amazon? Maybe it is.
Rafaela Sales Ross of The Playlist grades it a B- and calls Michael Fassbender “eerily effective in his embodiment of utter emotionlessness,” but they note that for a story lifted from a graphic novel, the movie lacks visual playfulness. The critic writes:
David Fincher is rarely dull, and The Killer cannot take the director’s filmography in that direction, but it won’t push itself toward the top of his work, either. A competently realized crime thriller made by a technical team just as sharply attuned to details as the director at the ship’s helm, the Netflix production is entertaining but a little orthodox. The good news is: while this isn’t the brilliant Zodiac, it isn’t the paltry Mank, either.
Lex Briscuso of IGN rates The Killer a “Good” 7 out of 10, writing that Michael Fassbender is smart and stylish in the title role, and the violence is captivating. The critic continues:
Legendary director David Fincher’s 12th film The Killer is a return to form that lays bare how emotions can mar untouchability and turn it into a pivotal drive for revenge. Marrying a tight and effective script from Andrew Kevin Walker, smart performances from Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton, and sharp editing, this assassin odyssey is one you’ll want to watch again and again.
Ryan Lattanzio of IndieWire says that while there’s nothing especially new here, watching a master filmmaker and actor operate in a revenge rampage story could never be a bad thing. The critic grades the movie a "B," writing:
The Killer is nothing if not committed to its own one-note bit, an existential nihilism that stays the same even as the protagonist, in a mostly silent Michael Fassbender performance, starts to change. It’s as unfeeling as any Fincher thriller, at once predictable in its simplicity but also strangely daring because of it.
We still have a couple of months of waiting before The Killer makes its way to Netflix, but if you want to see David Fincher and Michael Fassbender work their magic, circle November 10 on your calendar. In the meantime, see what else is new and coming soon to Netflix, and you can start planning your next trip to the theater with our 2023 movie release schedule.
