The question of whether or not technology has killed the classic crime thriller has popped in and out of the discourse as the years saw pocket watches morph into sci-fi-looking gadgets capable of getting one both dinner and a first-class ticket to Dubai in the space of a couple of minutes. Directors who have solidified their careers through portrayals of mafiosos, gangsters, and assassins held tightly to the period film as a chance to continue working with the story beats that work so well within the genre, recreating CCTV-free alleyways and public phone booths to allow their scoundrels and scumbags to wreak havoc in overpopulated mazes around the world. The answer to the initial question, it turns out, is a roaring yes, courtesy of David Fincher’s “The Killer.”
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Michael Fassbender’s nameless assassin seems to have figured out how to perform his unconventional job with the best of help from technology: instead of risking nanny cams on AirBnB, he stays at co-working spaces managed by WeWork; if entrance to buildings proves tricky, he logs into his Amazon Prime account and orders a handy little device to clone programmed fobs, delivered to an Amazon Locker, of course. He traces his routes with the help of Google Maps and gets and disposes of his vehicles from a quick pick-up and drop-off service at Hertz.
These practical instincts are the great defining character of the Killer, whose rationale is relayed in detail through the stern voice-over narration that offers a rare insight into the assassin’s mind throughout the film. “Stick to your plan. Anticipate, don’t improvise. Trust no one. Never yield an advantage. Fight only the battle you’re paid to fight…” repeats the hitman as a mantra while walking the viewer through every step of his carefully concocted routine, from the importance of stretching to how a well-curated playlist can calm the nerves like little else. Alas, not even The Smiths could save the misjudged shot responsible for fumbling the Killer’s first job ever.
Much like John Wick, the hitman is sent on a vengeful murder spree once his enemies cross over the precarious threshold that separates family and business. Although, unlike John Wick, the Killer doesn’t quite suffer such a Shakespearian blow. This juxtaposition between the assassin’s short temper and his constant repetition of a mantra that evokes a deadly need for calm and precision is the source of much of the humor in “The Killer,” which sees Fincher throw away quips on bunless McDonald’s treats and little digs at both Germans and Louisianians alike.
Fincher first read the French comic book that inspired “The Killer” in 2007, but the project only took off once “Se7en” screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker hopped aboard to adapt Matz and Luc Jacamon’s work. The duo’s first (official) collaboration in almost 30 years (Kevin Walker did uncredited work on ‘Fight Club,” and ‘Benjamin Button’ and wrote two other unproduced Fincher films) lacks the visionary brilliance—and the engrossing twists and thrills—of their first collaboration. However, it proves to be a competently realized homage to the great crime thrillers of Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Pierre Melville by way of DIY. And yet, without taking the formative narrative risks that solidified Fincher’s career with films like “Zodiac” and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Additionally, for a film lifted straight out of a comic book, it lacks visual playfulness, opting for a classical framing of this archetypal character that offers little insight when paired with the constant stream of consciousness that makes up the narration.
The now semi-retired Fassbender, currently a professional driver in the European Le Mans Series, is eerily effective in his embodiment of utter emotionlessness. His impassionate demeanor is often hidden under a bland bucket hat and layers and layers of beige; this level of discretion at a time where everyone sees and is seen at all times is a significant part of what makes the assassin so terrifying. Look to the side, and you won’t see him. Blink, however, and there he is. It’s a role perfectly written for the “Shame” actor, who features in virtually every single scene of Fincher’s latest in sequences that go from entire days in vigilant silence to a rigorously choreographed fight scene in the house of a thug fittingly named The Brute (Sala Baker).
Alongside the Killer’s violent odyssey is a small pool of actors featured scarcely throughout. Tilda Swinton reunites with Fincher for the first time since “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” to play a glamorous murderess with a fondness for scotch and “Top Gun: Maverick” standout Charles Parnell is the unassuming big boss of a network of meticulously trained guns for hire. Out of all brief stints, however, the greatest surprise comes in the shape of Dolores (Kerry O’Malley), a secretary whose bargaining skills lead to one of the film’s most interesting observations on the assassin’s method.
Aesthetically, Oscar-winning “Mank” director of photography Erik Messerschmidt marks another less fruitful collaboration for Fincher, with the film’s cinematography feeding into the classic references the director aims to evoke without much flair in the tailing of this quiet, deadly predator. Similarly, “The Social Network” duo Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor pen a moody score that unfortunately plays second fiddle to a soundtrack much more interested in the easily recognizable beats of the aforementioned Morrisey/Marr group and English trip-hop band Portishead.
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. [B-]
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