The Film about to brooding hired assassin out for revenge is too straightforward to be a first-rate thriller
It’s possible that those familiar with David Fincher’s stylish, dark and atmospheric films (Fight Club, Zodiac, Gone Girl and more) would let out a “wow” when watching The Killer’s opening sequence, which hints at an interesting premise. It shows a hitman (Michael Fassbender) who is lonely, silent and brooding, waiting in an abandoned building for his next target, who arrives at a luxury hotel across the street. During this long sequence, he tries to keep his emotions in check, stay focused, exercise and take a short nap. It’s his monotone voiceover—rather like a lengthy thought bubble in a graphic novel—that tries to hold the audience’s attention as he goes through this mundane routine.
Although the voice-over seems like an interesting tool at first glance, it becomes tiresome as the film progresses. It doesn’t help when the assassin keeps repeating certain lines (such as “Empathy is weakness”; “Fight the battle you’re paid to fight” and “Anticipate, don’t improvise”) as if to reassure himself. his nerves, every time he catches someone. This makes the assassin-on-the-hunt story, which is an adaptation of the French comic of the same name created by writer Alexis “Matz” Nolen and artist Luc Jacamone, dullt.
It’s possible that those familiar with David Fincher’s stylish, dark and atmospheric films (Fight Club, Zodiac, Gone Girl and more) would let out a “wow” when watching The Killer’s opening sequence, which hints at an interesting premise. It shows a hitman (Michael Fassbender) who is lonely, silent and brooding, waiting in an abandoned building for his next target, who arrives at a luxury hotel across the street. During this long sequence, he tries to keep his emotions in check, stay focused, exercise and take a short nap. It’s his monotone voiceover—rather like a lengthy thought bubble in a graphic novel—that tries to hold the audience’s attention as he goes through this mundane routine.
Although the voice-over seems like an interesting tool at first glance, it becomes tiresome as the film progresses. It doesn’t help when the assassin keeps repeating certain lines (such as “Empathy is weakness”; “Fight the battle you’re paid to fight” and “Anticipate, don’t improvise”) as if to reassure himself. his nerves, every time before he catches someone. This makes the assassin-on-the-hunt story, which is an adaptation of the French comic of the same name created by writer Alexis “Matz” Nolen and artist Luc Jacamone, dull.
Still, it’s no surprise that The Killer reflects Fincher’s impressive visual aesthetic and filmmaking style, even as he keeps the narrative sharp and straightforward. As an assassin on a mission, Fassbender has perfect body language and a deadpan expression. Some of the action sequences are engaging and well choreographed. His meeting with Swinton and the exchange they have over a whiskey flight add a certain spark to the narrative. But that’s too little and comes a little late in the story. A story that feels thin without layers and complexities does not draw the audience into this brutal world of killers. It also doesn’t give the audience enough reason to focus on the killer’s rage or inner turmoil as he moves from Paris to the Dominican Republic to America in search of revenge.