Netflix's THE KILLER starring Michael Fassbender (2023) 2 2

[Bosco685]

Based on the French graphic novel series of the same name written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. Directed by David Fincher.

'The Killer' falls gloriously into the right hands with director David Fincher

Quote

In the wrong hands, a gun-for-hire movie can be a compendium of cliches that incites yawns instead of revelatory tremors. But "The Killer," now streaming on Netflix, falls gloriously into the right hands with director David Fincher calling the shots like the true cinema virtuoso he is.

 

Are we lucky? We are, indeed. It's a pleasure to behold Fincher doing his meticulous thing, putting his laser-focus on an unnamed assassin, played by Michael Fassbender, a mesmerizing actor unequaled at showing an angry flame flickering just under an uber-cool surface.

Quote

As written by Fincher's "Seven" collaborator Andrew Kevin Walker, based on French comic books by Luc Jacamon and Alexis "Matz" Nolent, "The Killer" is essential Fincher, not quite up there with "Fight Club" and "Zodiac" but raising hell in ways too satisfying to spoil in a review.

Quote

"The Killer" is a first for Fincher -- it's the one where he refuses to stick to a plan, letting shards of humanity throw him off his raw and riveting game. Don't expect a sunny redemption. Fincher and his killer share an affinity for loose ends hauntingly left untied. "The Killer" is too machine-tooled to warm your heart, but you can count on its chill to linger and haunt your dreams.

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

 

[The Brain]

Watched it yesterday.

Absolutely riveting.

A study into the mind-set of a killer.

 

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

[aardvark88]

Watchable as I streamed it. 'The Killer' starring Chow Yun Fat was better decades ago directed by John Woo. Not as creative as John Wick movies or 'The Continental' tv soundtrack, as 'The Killer' soundtrack is mostly The Smiths' songs about suicide although well integrated.

[Dr. Love]

Liked it a lot. I'll watch anything with Fassbender though. It reminded me of why I liked Dexter back in the day.

[Bosco685]

 

[eastriver400]

Watched it twice so far. Absolutely loved it. Huge fan of the Smiths which also added to how much I loved this movie.  I also found it very funny in a subtle way.  Quirky humor along the lines of "The Patriot" series (brilliant series) that was on Amazon some years back, but no way as funny as the Patriot. 

[g-man]

Watched it....kind of boring I thought. Some subtle humor but didn't love it..... 3/5. 

[eastriver400]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:59 AM, g-man said:

Watched it....kind of boring I thought. Some subtle humor but didn't love it..... 3/5. 

 

I did find it slow paced, but never boring.  

[Randall Dowling]

I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Well structured, simple idea, well developed and executed.  Fincher made a number of great choices throughout that help the audience to connect directly with the protagonist, be sympathetic to his cause, and root for his success.

I also watched it twice and something interesting stood out:

Spoiler

The choice of not only using songs by The Smiths throughout but also the particular choice of which lines in the songs are most audible and prominent is not arbitrary.  Not shocking given Fincher's skill level and experience, but worth acknowledging as a nice extra layer of communication between the author and the reader.

 

[piper]

2/5 I don’t get the hype. 

[delekkerste]

On 11/16/2023 at 11:33 PM, piper said:

2/5 I don’t get the hype. 

I watched it the other night. Honestly, it works a lot better as a graphic novel (I read the first 4 or 5 volumes). All the critics are stroking Fincher in their reviews, but, to my eyes, on camera, it was basically just another hitman revenge flick whereas the character and story are a lot more distinctive on paper. Felt like it was a movie I've seen countless times already - I didn't hate it, but, I didn't think it broke any new ground. 3.5 out of 5 for me as I like Fassbender and the source material. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by delekkerste